Photo: hungryholobiont / CC BY 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Black Scrub Robin
Cercotrichas podobe
Black Scrub Robin (Cercotrichas podobe) — Songbirds & Perching Birds of Africa.
The Black Scrub Robin (Cercotrichas podobe) is a member of the Muscicapidae family found in Africa. Adults weigh 23.9 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 podobe
Quick facts
- Weight
- 23.9 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Muscicapidae
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Black 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 forages mainly on the ground.
Migration
The Black Scrub Robin is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Black Scrub Robin (Cercotrichas podobe) is a member of the Muscicapidae family, within the order Passeriformes. It is found across Africa. Its distribution covers AF w Africa to Arabian Pen.
It is a small bird. Adults weighs around 23.9 g, with a wing length of about 8.7 cm and a tail of around 10.6 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 3.8 million km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Black Scrub Robin?
The Black Scrub Robin is a small bird that weighs around 23.9 g.
Where does the Black Scrub Robin live?
The Black Scrub Robin is found across Africa with a range covering AF w Africa to Arabian Pen, where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.
What family does the Black Scrub Robin belong to?
The Black Scrub Robin (Cercotrichas podobe) belongs to the Muscicapidae family, in the order Passeriformes.
What does the Black Scrub Robin eat?
The Black Scrub Robin is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Black Scrub Robin migrate?
The Black Scrub Robin is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Black 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 Black Scrub Robin make?
1 real field recording of the Black Scrub Robin — including its alarm call — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Black Scrub Robin's range?
The Black Scrub Robin has a mapped global range of about 3.8 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.