Photo: Bernard DUPONT from FRANCE / CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Kalahari Scrub Robin
Cercotrichas paena
Kalahari Scrub Robin (Cercotrichas paena) — Songbirds & Perching Birds of Africa.
Found across 2 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Kalahari Scrub Robin (Cercotrichas paena) is a member of the Muscicapidae family found in Africa. Adults weigh 19.7 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List (opens in a new tab)Widespread and abundant — not currently at risk.
Where it fits
- Class Aves
- Order Passeriformes
- Family Muscicapidae Chats, Old World Flycatchers
- Genus Cercotrichas
- Species paena
Quick facts
- Weight
- 19.7 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Muscicapidae
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
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Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Kalahari Scrub Robin is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Behaviour
A bird of semi-open scrub and shrubland, it uses a wide range of foraging strategies.
Migration
The Kalahari Scrub Robin is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Kalahari Scrub Robin (Cercotrichas paena) belongs to the Muscicapidae family of the order Passeriformes. It is found across Africa. Its distribution covers AF sc, sw.
It is a small bird. Adults weighs around 19.7 g, with a wing length of about 6.8 cm and a tail of around 6.9 cm.
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern. That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
The species has a mapped global range of roughly 1.9 million km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Kalahari Scrub Robin?
The Kalahari Scrub Robin is a small bird that weighs around 19.7 g.
Where does the Kalahari Scrub Robin live?
The Kalahari Scrub Robin is found across Africa with a range covering AF sc, sw, where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.
What family does the Kalahari Scrub Robin belong to?
The Kalahari Scrub Robin (Cercotrichas paena) belongs to the Muscicapidae family, in the order Passeriformes.
What does the Kalahari Scrub Robin eat?
The Kalahari Scrub Robin is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Kalahari Scrub Robin migrate?
The Kalahari Scrub Robin is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Kalahari Scrub Robin endangered?
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
What sound does the Kalahari Scrub Robin make?
1 real field recording of the Kalahari Scrub Robin — including its song — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Kalahari Scrub Robin's range?
The Kalahari Scrub Robin has a mapped global range of about 1.9 million km².
Conservation
Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.
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Guides for this bird
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How to choose a bird feeder for garden songbirds — the feeder styles compared, the seed they prefer, where to hang it, and how to keep birds safe. A decision framework grounded in real data, with no mystery picks.
Meet the Muscicapidae
A field guide to the Muscicapidae family — 355 species in the Birbs encyclopedia, with the best-known members to start with.