Rufous-headed Robin

Larvivora ruficeps Hartert, EJO, 1907

≈14 cmLength18 gWeight

This small robin has an orange-chestnut head, a black face, and a white throat bordered with black.

Busiest months: May · Most records: China

Endangered

How to identify

Field marks

Orange-chestnut head and black face
White throat bordered with black
Gray back, upper breast, and flanks
Black tail with chestnut feather edges

Voice

Song is powerful, with clear phrases, most like that of Ryukyu Robin.

Where and when it's recorded

Busiest months: May · Most records: China

Rufous-headed Robin has been recorded at 6 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 1 country or region.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

To protect this bird from disturbance, we don't list exact sites.

Countries and regions with the most records

China

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The rufous-headed robin (Larvivora ruficeps) is a species of passerine bird in the family Muscicapidae. It is found in central China. Its natural habitats are temperate forests and temperate shrubland.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Rufous-headed Robin?

The Rufous-headed Robin is about ≈14 cm long and weighs around 18 g.

Where does the Rufous-headed Robin live?

Its breeding range: Palearctic: north-central China. It is most often recorded in China.

When is the best time to see the Rufous-headed Robin?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in May (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the Rufous-headed Robin endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Rufous-headed Robin as Endangered.

What does the Rufous-headed Robin eat?

Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.

What family is the Rufous-headed Robin in?

It belongs to the family Chats, Old World Flycatchers (Muscicapidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).

At a glance

Length: ≈14 cm
Weight: 18 g
Habitat: Forest
Diet: Insects & other invertebrates
Lifestyle: Active on the ground
Migration: Migratory
Conservation: Endangered

More measurements

Wing: 77 mm
Tail: 53 mm
Bill: 14 mm
Tarsus: 27 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Palearctic: north-central China

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Classification

Order: Passerines Passeriformes
Family: Chats, Old World Flycatchers Muscicapidae
Genus: Larvivora

Other birds in the genus Larvivora

Siberian Blue RobinLarvivora cyane

Indian Blue RobinLarvivora brunnea

Japanese RobinLarvivora akahige

Izu RobinLarvivora tanensis

Ryukyu RobinLarvivora komadori

Okinawa RobinLarvivora namiyei

Rufous-tailed RobinLarvivora sibilans

White-tailed AletheAlethe diademata

Fire-crested AletheAlethe castanea

Karoo Scrub RobinTychaedon coryphoeus

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Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Pete Morris. ↗

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