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 Nanjing

In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%

13 Verified sightings at Nanjing
127 In 1 park From 2019 to 2026
October 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 Nanjing?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Rufous-tailed Robin sighting in Nanjing on a given day, based on 13 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 127th most-seen of the 162 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, and over a week to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.

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

October

In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Rufous-tailed Robin in Nanjing on a given day, against under 5% in November to September, the lowest months. That is one of Nanjing's driest months, with about 55 mm of rain against 240 mm in July.

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 Nanjing the best place to see a Rufous-tailed Robin?

9th of 13

Of the 13 cities where we can rate Rufous-tailed Robin sightings, Nanjing ranks 9th 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 Nanjing?

Same family: Muscicapidae

The closest relatives of the Rufous-tailed Robin that you can see in Nanjing (family Muscicapidae, Old World Flycatchers, Robins, and Chats) are Oriental Magpie-Robin (about 60%), Daurian Redstart (about 30%) and Blue Whistling-Thrush (about 30%), 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 Nanjing (13 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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