White-Throated Robin-Chat

White-Throated Robin-Chat

Cossypha humeralis

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

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
at Pilanesberg National Park

In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%

124 Verified sightings at Pilanesberg National Park From 2019 to 2026
1,118 In all 5 parks
August Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the White-Throated Robin-Chat

The white-throated robin-chat or white-throated robin (Dessonornis humeralis) is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae. It is endemic to Botswana, Eswatini, Mozambique, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. Its natural habitats are dry savannah and subtropical or tropical dry shrubland.

The white-throated robin-chat is found in dry savannah woodland and shrubland. The white-throated robin-chat is mainly insectivorous but also eats small vertebrates and some plant material. Its diet includes beetles, termites, ants, crickets, caterpillars, bugs, spiders and millipedes. It also consumes the fruits of the woolly caper-bush (Capparis tomentosa), the tassel-berry (Antidesma venosum), the sand raisin (Grewia microthyrsa), the magic guarrie (Euclea divinorum) and the dune guarrie (Euclea racemosa).

Breeding takes place in the spring, principally in October and November. The nest is usually on or near the ground, in a hollow stump, near the root of a vine or in a discarded utensil. It is cup-shaped and composed of twigs, dry grasses and leaves and lined with rootlets, tendrils, stalks and fragments of leaves. There are usually two or three eggs and... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Song0:44

South Africa · 2026

© Marna Buys · XC1102359 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Imitation1:11

South Africa · 2023

© Marc Anderson · XC877001 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Song0:31

South Africa · 2025

© Ehren Eksteen · XC1028092 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Pilanesberg National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~30%
2 uMkhuze Game Reserve 🇿🇦 South Africa
~20%
3 Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
4 Kruger National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
5 iSimangaliso Wetland Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Pretoria 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
2 Harare 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a White-Throated Robin-Chat in Pilanesberg National Park?

Possible

About 30% of wildlife watchers report a White-Throated Robin-Chat sighting in Pilanesberg National Park on a given day, based on 124 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 56th most-seen of the 233 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.

When is the best time to see a White-Throated Robin-Chat in Pilanesberg National Park?

August

In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a White-Throated Robin-Chat in Pilanesberg National Park on a given day, against about 10% in January and February, the lowest months. That is one of Pilanesberg National Park's driest months, with almost no rain against 130 mm in December.

What time of day is best to see a White-Throated Robin-Chat?

Between 8 and 11 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most White-Throated Robin-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.

Is Pilanesberg National Park the best place to see a White-Throated Robin-Chat?

Yes

Of the 5 parks where we can rate White-Throated Robin-Chat sightings, Pilanesberg National Park has the highest daily chance: about 30%. Next come uMkhuze Game Reserve (South Africa, about 20%) and Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park (South Africa, about 10%).

Where does the White-Throated Robin-Chat sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the White-Throated Robin-Chat is recorded against all the birds logged in Pilanesberg National Park (124 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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