Bird of the Week – Red-capped robin-chat

by BRUCE MUNRO

Formerly known as the Natal robin, the red-capped robin-chat is distributed from East London northwards along the KZN coastal belt to the lowveld of Mpumalanga, Limpopo, Swaziland, Mozambique and inland in the Zambezi and Chobe River systems.

These robins enjoy evergreen forests, deciduous thickets, riverine forests, parks and large gardens. They are solitary and elusive, more often heard than seen. They forage on the ground for insects, spiders, centipedes and fruit mainly in winter.

They sing from a low perch, sometimes with slightly raised, quivering wings. The call note is a monotonous, froglike two-syllabled ‘preep prrup’. They also have a rich, melodious whistled song imitating over 30 other bird species.

Breeding season for the Natal robin is from September to January. They mostly lay three plain chocolate brown or olive green eggs, in a cup shaped nest built with dead leaves, twigs and moss. The nest site is in a hollow stump, rock crevice, niche in wall even a hanging creeper.

Incubation lasts 13 to 15 days when the female is fed by the male.  Nestlings remain for 12 to 17 days with chicks fed by both parents.

The Tswana name is nyarhututu and in Afrikaans, Nataljanfrederik.

See more