Bearded Scrub Robin

Bearded Scrub Robin

Erythropygia quadrivirgata

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

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Gonarezhou National Park

In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%

32 Verified sightings at Gonarezhou National Park From 2019 to 2026
1,422 In all 16 parks
May Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Bearded Scrub Robin

The bearded scrub robin (Tychaedon quadrivirgata), also known as the eastern bearded scrub robin, is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae. It is found in eastern and southern Africa. This species was formerly placed in the genus Cercotrichas.

This species was described as Thamnobia quadrivirgata by the German ornithologist Anton Reichenow in 1879. It was formerly placed in the genus Erythropygia. It forms a superspecies with the forest scrub robin, miombo scrub robin and brown scrub robin. The specific epithet quadrivirgata means "four-striped" in Latin. The species is so named because of four diagnostic stripes on its face.

Its length is 15–17 cm (5.9–6.7 in), and its weight is approximately 20–31 g (0.71–1.09 oz). The male and female are alike, with the female being slightly smaller. The crown and upperparts are mostly dark olive-brown. The tail is dark brown, with the outer feathers having white tips. The wing coverts are grey-brown with olive-brown edges. The flight feathers are dark brown... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Recording0:05

South Africa · 2024

© Sally Adam · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0

Recording0:09

Eswatini · 2026

© Phil White · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0

Recording0:20

South Africa · 2024

© Heinrich Human · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 uMkhuze Game Reserve 🇿🇦 South Africa
~30%
2 Gonarezhou National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~20%
3 Mana Pools National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~10%
4 Lower Zambezi National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
~10%
5 Gorongosa National Park 🇲🇿 Mozambique
~10%
6 Kruger National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
7 Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
8 Liwonde National Park 🇲🇼 Malawi
~10%
9 iSimangaliso Wetland Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
10 Ruaha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
11 Lake Manyara National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
12 Kafue National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
<5%
13 Mikumi National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
14 Hwange National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
<5%
15 Tsavo East National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
16 Chobe National Park 🇧🇼 Botswana
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Mombasa 🇰🇪 Kenya
~20%
2 Dar es-Salaam 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Bearded Scrub Robin in Gonarezhou National Park?

Possible

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Bearded Scrub Robin sighting in Gonarezhou National Park on a given day, based on 32 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 130th most-seen of the 233 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.

When is the best time to see a Bearded Scrub Robin in Gonarezhou National Park?

May and July–August

In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Bearded Scrub Robin in Gonarezhou National Park on a given day, against under 5% in September, the lowest month. Those are among Gonarezhou National Park's driest months, with about 5 mm of rain a month against 150 mm in January. March–April, June and December–January have too few records to rate.

What time of day is best to see a Bearded Scrub Robin?

Between 7 and 10 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Bearded Scrub Robin sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Gonarezhou National Park the best place to see a Bearded Scrub Robin?

2nd of 16

Of the 16 parks where we can rate Bearded Scrub Robin sightings, Gonarezhou National Park ranks 2nd at about 20%. The best odds are in uMkhuze Game Reserve (South Africa, about 30%).

Where does the Bearded Scrub Robin sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Bearded Scrub Robin is recorded against all the birds logged in Gonarezhou National Park (32 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.

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