Pogonocichla stellata
Silhouette: Martin Bulla, based on François Desbordes' illustration · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The white-starred robin (Pogonocichla stellata) is a species of bird in the Old World flycatcher and chat family Muscicapidae. It is also sometimes more simply called the starred robin. It is monotypic within the genus Pogonocichla. There are around twelve subspecies. The species is found in East and southern Africa. It occurs in forested areas in the Afromontane of sub-Saharan Africa. It is a brightly coloured robin with a bright yellow breast and belly, a slate coloured head with spots on the eyes and throat and blueish wings.
The white-starred robin gives a range of calls that vary geographically. The diet is dominated by insects, although some fruit is taken as well. It is a territorial and seasonal breeder that lays up to three eggs in a domed nest. The generic name Pogoncichla is derived from the Greek pogon for beard, a reference to the white spots on the throat and face, and kikhle for thrush. Similarly the specific name stellata and the species' common name are also derived from the facial spots.
The white-starred robin is related to the chats, subfamily Saxicolinae, a group formerly placed with the thrush family Turdidae, but now placed in the Old World flycatcher... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Volcanoes National Park | 🇷🇼 Rwanda | |
| 2 | Nyungwe National Park | 🇷🇼 Rwanda | |
| 3 | Arusha National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 4 | Virunga National Park | 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo | |
| 5 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 6 | Bwindi Impenetrable National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 7 | Aberdare National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 8 | Mkomazi National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 9 | Nairobi National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 10 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 11 | Ngorongoro Conservation Area | 🇹🇿 Tanzania |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nairobi | 🇰🇪 Kenya |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a White-starred Robin sighting in Mkomazi National Park on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 244th most-seen of the 272 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
November
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a White-starred Robin in Mkomazi National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June–October and December–April, the lowest months. That is one of Mkomazi National Park's wettest months, with about 120 mm of rain against 5 mm in July. May has too few records to rate.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most White-starred 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.
8th of 11
Of the 11 parks where we can rate White-starred Robin sightings, Mkomazi National Park ranks 8th at under 5%. The best odds are in Volcanoes National Park (Rwanda, about 30%), Nyungwe National Park (Rwanda, about 20%) and Arusha National Park (Tanzania, about 20%).
Same family: Muscicapidae
The closest relatives of the White-starred Robin that you can see in Mkomazi National Park (family Muscicapidae, Old World Flycatchers, Robins, and Chats) are Spotted Morning-Thrush (about 50%), African Gray Flycatcher (about 40%) and Southern Black Flycatcher (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the White-starred Robin is recorded against all the birds logged in Mkomazi National Park (7 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.
