Rüppell's robin-chat

Rüppell's robin-chat (Cossypha semirufa) is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae, that is native to the Afrotropics. It is named for the German naturalist Eduard Rüppell.^[2]

Rüppell's robin-chat
C. s. intercedens in Kenya
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Muscicapidae
Genus:	Cossypha
Species:	C. semirufa
Binomial name
Cossypha semirufa (Rüppell, 1837)

Description

It is a smaller version of the White-browed robin-chat, measuring 18 cm rather than 20  cm, with darker, blackish central tail feathers, and in some races a more constricted supercilium behind the eye.^[3]

Range

It is native to Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, South Sudan and Tanzania.

Habitat

It is found in subtropical or tropical moist montane forests,^[4] including Juniper and Podocarpus forest,^[3] and in subtropical or tropical moist shrubland and gardens.

Races

There are three races:^[5]

The nominate race in Ethiopia

• Cossypha semirufa semirufa

Range: Eritrea, Ethiopia, south-eastern South Sudan and northern Kenya

• Cossypha semirufa donaldsoni Sharpe, 1895

Description: Rufous collar almost complete, upperparts darker than nominate^[3]

Range: south-eastern Ethiopia and adjacent Somalia

• Cossypha semirufa intercedens (Cabanis, 1878)

Range: central to south-eastern Kenya and northern Tanzania