Rufous-tailed Palm-Thrush Cichladusa ruficauda Scientific name definitions

18 cm; 28–30 g. Dull rufous cap , dusky-rufous back and wings , bright rufous rump and tail ; pale grey face and sides; creamy-buff chin to centre of breast and upper belly , tawny-buff lower belly; eye reddish-brown, bill black; legs slate-grey. Very like C. arquata, but has smaller area of creamy-buff on throat, lacks black border of throat and breast, different eye colour. Sexes similar. Juvenile is like adult, but streaked and spotted dusky above and on grey breast.

SW Central African Republic (Bangui), S Gabon and lower R Congo S to W Angola and extreme NW Namibia (along S bank of R Cunene); one record from coastal Cameroon (1 Lambeets, K., Beckers, G. and Vanermen, N. (2011). First record of Rufous-tailed Palm Thrush Cichladusa ruficauda for Cameroon. Bull. Afr. Bird Club 18(1): 76. Close ).

Song  is loud and clear, and similar to that of C. arquata, interspersed with churring and rich babbling notes, and sometimes with mimicry of calls of other species; often in duet, and frequently given in evenings. Calls include harsh “chrrr” in alarm.

Sept–Oct, Dec–Jan and Mar–May in Angola, Oct–Apr in DRCongo and Mar in Namibia. Nest a thick-walled, truncated cone of mud incorporating grass and pieces of plant material , cup lined with grass, etc., placed at base of palm frond, against drooping frond, in cleft in main trunk of baobab or other large tree, or on rock ledge or building (then attached directly to vertical surface, forming half-cone). Eggs 2–4, pale greenish-white with pink or dull rufous speckles. No other information.