Erythropygia paena
Silhouette: Martin Bulla, based on François Desbordes' illustration · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
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 Waterberg Plateau Park on a given day, based on 30 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 51st most-seen of the 118 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January, May, August and November
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Kalahari Scrub Robin in Waterberg Plateau Park on a given day, against about 10% in February, September–October and December, the lowest months. April and June have too few records to rate.
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.
4th of 7
Of the 7 parks where we can rate Kalahari Scrub Robin sightings, Waterberg Plateau Park ranks 4th at about 20%. The best odds are in Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (South Africa, about 50%), Pilanesberg National Park (South Africa, about 30%) and Etosha National Park (Namibia, about 20%). 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 Waterberg Plateau Park (30 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.
