White-browed Scrub Robin
Cercotrichas leucophrys
White-browed Scrub Robin feeds on insects in African bush and open woodlands.
| Scientific name | Cercotrichas leucophrys |
|---|---|
| Conservation status | Least Concern |
| Class | Aves |
| Order | Passeriformes |
| Family | Muscicapidae |
| Size | Male: approximately 18-20 cm, weight about 25-30 g; female: similar size, slightly lighter weight |
How to identify
Distinct white eyebrow stripe running through the eye; chest and belly pale brown or grayish-white; tail relatively long and often held upright; wings with dark markings; slender, long bill adapted for insect feeding
Habitat
Scrubland, edges of sparse wooded savanna, valley shrubs, and open woodland
Diet
Primarily insectivorous, feeding on beetles, ants, grasshoppers, and other small invertebrates
When it is active
Diurnal, mainly active in early morning and late afternoon
Where it lives
Widely distributed throughout sub-Saharan Africa, including Kenya and the Maasai Mara region
How to spot it
Observe quietly at shrub edges during early morning or late afternoon, watch for the characteristic tail-up posture
Photography tips
Use a telephoto lens to capture details, choose soft light during morning or evening, with a natural shrub background preferred
Threats
Habitat destruction and degradation, agricultural expansion, and shrub clearance
Similar species
Similar to other species in the scrub-robin genus, distinguished by a more prominent white eyebrow and longer tail
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