Photo: Dotun55 / CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Snowy-crowned Robin-Chat
Cossypha niveicapilla
Snowy-crowned Robin-Chat (Cossypha niveicapilla) — Songbirds & Perching Birds of Africa.
Found across 4 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Snowy-crowned Robin-Chat (Cossypha niveicapilla) is a member of the Muscicapidae family found in Africa. Adults weigh 36.7 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 Cossypha
- Species niveicapilla
Where it lives
Southern Mauritania, Senegal and Gambia east to Ethiopia, Kenya, DR Congo, northeastern Angola and Tanzania
Quick facts
- Weight
- 36.7 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Muscicapidae
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
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Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Snowy-crowned Robin-Chat is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Behaviour
A bird of semi-open woodland, it uses a wide range of foraging strategies.
Migration
The Snowy-crowned Robin-Chat is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Snowy-crowned Robin-Chat (Cossypha niveicapilla) belongs to the Muscicapidae family of the order Passeriformes. Its range spans Africa. Its distribution covers AF s Mauritania, Senegal and Gambia e to Ethiopia, Kenya, DR Congo, ne Angola and Tanzania.
It is a small bird. Adults weighs around 36.7 g, with a wing length of about 9.8 cm and a tail of around 9.2 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 5.2 million km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Snowy-crowned Robin-Chat?
The Snowy-crowned Robin-Chat is a small bird that weighs around 36.7 g.
Where does the Snowy-crowned Robin-Chat live?
The Snowy-crowned Robin-Chat is found across Africa with a range covering AF s Mauritania, Senegal and Gambia e to Ethiopia, Kenya, DR Congo, ne Angola and Tanzania, where it is typically found in wooded and forested habitats.
What family does the Snowy-crowned Robin-Chat belong to?
The Snowy-crowned Robin-Chat (Cossypha niveicapilla) belongs to the Muscicapidae family, in the order Passeriformes.
What does the Snowy-crowned Robin-Chat eat?
The Snowy-crowned Robin-Chat is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Snowy-crowned Robin-Chat migrate?
The Snowy-crowned Robin-Chat is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Snowy-crowned Robin-Chat 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 Snowy-crowned Robin-Chat make?
1 real field recording of the Snowy-crowned Robin-Chat — 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 Snowy-crowned Robin-Chat's range?
The Snowy-crowned Robin-Chat has a mapped global range of about 5.2 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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A field guide to the Muscicapidae family — 355 species in the Birbs encyclopedia, with the best-known members to start with.