White-browed Scrub Robin

Common resident. A small, brownish robin with white wing markings and a well-streaked breast. In the Okavango Delta the breast has an orange wash but is unstreaked; cf. [Bearded Scrub Robin]. In flight it reveals orange rump and upper tail coverts, while the fanned tail shows white tips. Immature has mottled upper parts. Sings for long periods on warm days; often the first species to start singing in the morning. Various loud phrases repeated almost without pause ‘pirit-pirit-tertwee-pirit-pirit-tertwee-chee-chee-chu-it-chu-it…’. Alarm call is a drawn-out ‘churrrrr’, also given before settling down to roost for the night. Occurs in mixed bushveld, thornveld and woodland, especially within thickets formed by low bushes and long grass. Sings from an exposed bush-top perch; otherwise secretive in the lower stratum.