Erythropygia galactotes
Silhouette: Martin Bulla, based on François Desbordes' illustration · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
The rufous-tailed scrub robin (Cercotrichas galactotes) is a medium-sized member of the family Muscicapidae. Other common names include the rufous scrub robin, rufous bush chat, rufous bush robin and the rufous warbler. It breeds around the Mediterranean and east to Pakistan. It also breeds south of the Sahara from the Sahel region east to Somalia; these African birds are sometimes considered to be a separate species, the African scrub robin (C. minor). It is partially migratory, wintering in Africa (Kenya, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia) and India. This is a very rare visitor to northern Europe.
The scientific name is from Ancient Greek. Cercotrichas is from kerkos, "tail" and trikhas, "thrush", and galactotes means resembling milk, from gala, "milk". The rufous-tailed scrub robin is a bird of dry open country with bushes and shrubs. It builds its nest a few feet off the ground; there are three to five eggs in a typical clutch.
The rufous-tailed scrub robin is larger than the European robin. It has brown upper parts, whitish under parts, and a prominent whitish supercilium and a dark eye-stripe. The western race has a paler, warmer brown back than birds in southeastern Europe and Asia. The long rufous tail is frequently fanned, showing the black and white tips of the tail feathers. The adult male and female have similar plumage and the juvenile resembles the adult but is paler. These birds feed on insects mostly caught on the ground. Their clear thrush-like song has a sad tone. Wikipedia →
Recording0:30
Portugal · 2025
© Axel Gosseries · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
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Iran · 2025
Shahrzad Fattahi · iNaturalist · CC0
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Morocco · 2025
© Ila France · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tsavo East National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 2 | Tsavo West National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 3 | Samburu National Reserve | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 4 | Murchison Falls National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Rufous Bush Chat sighting in Kuwait City on a given day, based on 68 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 48th most-seen of the 157 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August
In that month about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Rufous Bush Chat in Kuwait City on a given day, against under 5% in November to February, the lowest months.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Rufous Bush Chat sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 8 cities where we can rate Rufous Bush Chat sightings, Kuwait City has the highest daily chance: about 20%. Next come Riyadh (Saudi Arabia, about 10%) and Manama (Bahrain, about 10%).
Same family: Muscicapidae
The closest relatives of the Rufous Bush Chat that you can see in Kuwait City (family Muscicapidae, Old World Flycatchers, Robins, and Chats) are European Robin (about 10%), Spotted Flycatcher (about 10%) and Isabelline Wheatear (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Rufous Bush Chat is recorded against all the birds logged in Kuwait City (68 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.
