Erythropygia paena
Silhouette: Martin Bulla, based on François Desbordes' illustration · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
The Kalahari scrub robin (Cercotrichas paena) is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae. It is sometimes known as the sandy scrub robin. It is found in southern Angola, Botswana, Namibia, northern South Africa, and Zimbabwe, where it occurs in sandveld with low trees and scrub, on the edges of woodland, and in savanna. It will also inhabit human-altered environments including old fields and gardens. The species is common and not considered threatened by human activities.
The Kalahari scrub robin is a seasonal breeder, with the season stretching from August to February, and peaking in November, also the peak of the wet season. The species is monogamous and territorial, with territory sizes varying from 0.7 - 4.3 ha. Females are responsible for constructing the nest, which are weaved of shrubs and grasses and placed in low thorny bushes. The nest building stage takes around 5 days. The average clutch size is about two, although clutch size is bigger later in the season. Only the female incubates the eggs, the male defends the nest, aggressively attacking intruders and warning when predators approach. The incubation lasts around 12 days. Having hatched... Wikipedia →
Recording0:16
South Africa · 2022
© Dewald du Plessis · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
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South Africa · 2021
© Rachel Schärf · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
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South Africa · 2025
© matthewj_za · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Pilanesberg National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Etosha National Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 4 | Waterberg Plateau Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 5 | Hwange National Park | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 6 | Moremi Game Reserve | 🇧🇼 Botswana | |
| 7 | Chobe National Park | 🇧🇼 Botswana |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Kalahari Scrub Robin sighting in Etosha National Park on a given day, based on 441 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 49th most-seen of the 260 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Kalahari Scrub Robin in Etosha National Park on a given day, against about 10% in March and May, the lowest months. That is one of Etosha National Park's wettest months, with about 50 mm of rain against almost none in June.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Kalahari Scrub Robin sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 7
Of the 7 parks where we can rate Kalahari Scrub Robin sightings, Etosha National Park ranks 3rd at about 20%. The best odds are in Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (South Africa, about 50%) and Pilanesberg National Park (South Africa, about 30%). All parks ranked.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Kalahari Scrub Robin is recorded against all the birds logged in Etosha National Park (441 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
