Family Old World Flycatchers and Chats (Muscicapidae)
Least Concern
Archer's Robin-chat (Dessonornis archeri)
Taxonomy
French: Cossyphe d’Archer German: Ruwenzorirötel Spanish: Cosifa de Archer
Other common names:
Archer's Ground Robin
Taxonomy:
Cossypha archeri
Sharpe
, 1902,Rwenzori, Uganda
.
Subspecies and Distribution
D. a. archeri
(Sharpe, 1902) – Archer's Robin-chat – SW Uganda, E DRCongo, W Rwanda and W Burundi.
D. a. kimbutui
(Prigogine, 1955) – Kabobo Robin-chat – Mt Kabobo, in E DRCongo.
Descriptive notes
15 cm; 20–26 g. Nominate race resembles Oreocossypha isabellae, but with slightly longer white supercilium, white spot on chin, uniform rufous tail; bill black... read more
Voice
Song, delivered throughout day for several months, a curious melancholy loud trilled piping... read more
Habitat
Understorey of montane forest, including secondary growth with open understorey of bracken, wild... read more
Food and feeding
Insects, such as beetles, ants, termites, hemipteran bugs, hymenopterans and caterpillars; small millipedes. Forages on and near ground on... read more
Breeding
Possibly all year except Jun–Aug dry season; evidence of Jan, Apr, Oct and Dec in Rwanda, Oct–Nov, Mar and May in DRCongo, and... read more
Movements
Mainly sedentary. Some altitudinal migration or juvenile dispersal may occur in Kivu region of... read more
Status and conservation
Not globally threatened. Restricted-range species: present in Albertine Rift Mountains EBA. Common to abundant, particularly along streamsides.
Recently placed by one authority in Dryocichloides. Race albimentalis synonymized with nominate. Two subspecies recognized.