Rufous-tailed Robin

Rufous-tailed Robin

Larvivora sibilans

Silhouette: Martin Bulla, based on François Desbordes' illustration · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Guangzhou

In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%

103 Verified sightings at Guangzhou
127 In 1 park From 2019 to 2026
January Best month
🌅 Crepuscular When it's spotted

About the Rufous-tailed Robin

The rufous-tailed robin (Larvivora sibilans) is a small passerine bird. Its breeding range extends from southern Siberia and the Sea of Okhotsk to southern China and southeastern Asia. It has a number of alternative English names: pseudorobin, red-tailed robin, Swinhoe's red-tailed robin, Swinhoe's robin, Swinhoe's pseudorobin, Swinhoe's nightingale or whistling nightingale.

The rufous-tailed robin was previously placed in the genus Luscinia. A large molecular phylogenetic study published in 2010 found that Luscinia was not monophyletic. The genus was therefore split and several species including rufous-tailed robin were moved to the reinstated genus Larvivora. The rufous-tailed robin is genetically most closely related to the rufous-headed robin (Larvivora ruficeps). These two species form a sister group to a clade containing the Japanese robin (Larvivora akahige) and the Ryukyu robin (Larvivora komadori).

The genus name Larvivora comes from the Neo-Latin larva meaning caterpillar and -vorus meaning eating (vorace to devour), and sibilans is Latin for "whistling". The rufous-tailed robin is much the same size as the European robin at 14 cm (5.5 in... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Song1:01

China · 2026

© Peter Boesman · XC1147593 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Call0:28

China · 2023

© Dave GUO · XC891839 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Subsong1:25

China · 2004

© Geoff Carey · XC743695 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Cuc Phuong National Park 🇻🇳 Vietnam
~40%

More parks will be added in future updates.

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Jinhua 🇨🇳 China
~20%
2 Zhuhai [Macau] 🇨🇳 China
~10%
3 Hong Kong 🇨🇳 China
~10%
4 Xiamen City 🇨🇳 China
~10%
5 Guangzhou 🇨🇳 China
<5%
6 Hangzhou 🇨🇳 China
<5%
7 Seoul 🇰🇷 South Korea
<5%
8 Suzhou 🇨🇳 China
<5%
9 Nanjing 🇨🇳 China
<5%
10 Wuhan 🇨🇳 China
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Rufous-tailed Robin in Guangzhou?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Rufous-tailed Robin sighting in Guangzhou on a given day, based on 103 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 101st most-seen of the 266 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Rufous-tailed Robin in Guangzhou?

December to March

In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Rufous-tailed Robin in Guangzhou on a given day, against under 5% in April to November, the lowest months. Those are among Guangzhou's driest months, with about 50 mm of rain a month against 330 mm in June.

What time of day is best to see a Rufous-tailed Robin?

Between 5 and 8 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Rufous-tailed Robin sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.

Is Guangzhou the best place to see a Rufous-tailed Robin?

5th of 13

Of the 13 cities where we can rate Rufous-tailed Robin sightings, Guangzhou ranks 5th at under 5%. The best odds are in Jinhua (China, about 20%), Zhuhai [Macau] (China, about 10%) and Hong Kong (China, about 10%).

Which relatives of the Rufous-tailed Robin live in Guangzhou?

Same family: Muscicapidae

The closest relatives of the Rufous-tailed Robin that you can see in Guangzhou (family Muscicapidae, Old World Flycatchers, Robins, and Chats) are Oriental Magpie-Robin (about 80%), Daurian Redstart (about 10%) and Amur Stonechat (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Rufous-tailed Robin sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Rufous-tailed Robin is recorded against all the birds logged in Guangzhou (103 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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