Cossypha heuglini
Silhouette: Martin Bulla, based on François Desbordes' illustration · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
The white-browed robin-chat (Cossypha heuglini), also known as Heuglin's robin, is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae. Found in east, central and southern Africa, its natural habitats include riverine forest and thickets, and it is also found near humans. The IUCN classifies it as a least-concern species.
Hartlaub described the species from Sudan in 1866. The specific epithet is derived from Martin Theodor von Heuglin. The white-browed robin-chat is 19–20 cm (7.5–7.9 in) long and weighs 29–51 g (1.0–1.8 oz). The crown and face are black, and there is a white supercilium over the dark brown eye. The back is olive grey-brown, and the rump is rufous. The two central tail feathers are olive-brown, and the other feathers are orange-rufous. The flight feathers and wing coverts are grey-brown, and the underwing coverts are rufous. The underparts are bright orange... Wikipedia →
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego Zoo Safari Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Burgers' Ocean | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 3 | Royal Burgers' Zoo | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 4 | Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 5 | Edward Youde Aviary | 🇭🇰 Hong Kong SAR China |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a White-browed Robin-Chat sighting in Virunga National Park on a given day, based on 109 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 22nd most-seen of the 316 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 50% of wildlife watchers report a White-browed Robin-Chat in Virunga National Park on a given day, against about 10% in January to March, the lowest months. That is one of Virunga National Park's driest months, with about 80 mm of rain against 250 mm in May.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most White-browed Robin-Chat sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
13th of 39
Of the 39 parks where we can rate White-browed Robin-Chat sightings, Virunga National Park ranks 13th at about 20%. The best odds are in Queen Elizabeth National Park (Uganda, about 40%), Akagera National Park (Rwanda, about 40%) and Kafue National Park (Zambia, about 40%). All parks ranked.
Same genus: Cossypha
The closest relatives of the White-browed Robin-Chat that you can see in Virunga National Park (genus Cossypha, Typical Robin-Chats) are Cape Robin-Chat (about 20%), Archer's Robin-Chat (about 10%) and Snowy-crowned Robin-Chat (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the White-browed Robin-Chat is recorded against all the birds logged in Virunga National Park (109 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.
