White-bellied Robin-Chat

SCI Name:  Cossyphicula roberti
Protonym:  Callene roberti Bull.Br.Orn.Club 13 p.37
Taxonomy:  Passeriformes / Muscicapidae / Cossyphicula
Taxonomy Code:  wbrcha1
Type Locality:  Bakaki, Fernando Po.
Author:  Alexander
Publish Year:  1903
IUCN Status:  Least Concern

DEFINITIONS

COSSYPHICULA
(Muscicapidae; † White-bellied Robin Chat C. roberti) Dim. < genus Cossypha Vigors, 1825, robin chat; "III. Cossyphicula genus novum.  Typus: Callene roberti Alex.  Dieser merkwürdige kleine Vogel, den Boyd Alexander 1903 auf Fernando Po entdecke, wurde fortab in der Literatur als Cossypha roberti geführt. Er weicht aber von allen übrigen zu Cossypha gestellten Arten nicht nur durch merklich geringere Größe, sondern besonders durch einen anderen Schnabel ab. Dieser ist "fliegenschnäpperartig" an der Basis stark verbreitet. Ferner sind die Füße relativ kurz und schwach. Er verdient es daher, von den übrigen Cossypha-Arten abgesondert und eine eigene Gattung, Cossyphicula, "Zwerg-Cossypha", gestellt zu werden.  Biologisch ist dieser in den wissenschaftlichen Sammlungen nur in einigen wenigen Exemplaren vorhandene Vogel unerforscht; seinem Bau nach zu urteilen, dürfte er in seiner Lebensweise wahrscheinlich mehr Fliegenschnäpperartiges als Drosselartiges haben." (Grote 1934) (OD per Björn Bergenholtz); "Cossyphicula Grote, 1934, Anzeiger Ornith. Gesellschaft Bayern, 2 (7/8), p. 311.  Type, by original designation and monotypy, Callene roberti Alexander, 1903." (JAJ 2021).

roberti
• Robert Owen (1838-1880) English engineer, landowner in Guatemala (Paul Scofield in litt.); "Owen's Sabre-wing  ... It was collected in the Vera Paz mountains of Central America by Mr. Robert Owen, after whom it has been named" (Gould 1861) (subsp. Campylopterus cuvierii).
• Robert Ridgway (1850-1929) US ornithologist, Smithsonian Curator of Birds 1880-1929 (syn. Cantorchilus modestus).
• Alphonse Robert (fl. 1903) French botanist, collector in Madagascar 1894-1896, Brazil and Paraguay 1901-1903 (Conopophaga, ‡Hovacrex).
• Maj. Robert Alexander (1873-1928) brother of British explorer Capt. Boyd Alexander (Cossyphicula).
• Robert Hamilton Mathews (1841-1918) Australian surveyor, anthropologist, ethnologist, father of ornithologist Gregory M. Mathews (syn. Cygnus atratus, syn. Zapornia tabuensis).
• Frederick William Robert (fl. 1895) Australian surveyor in Indian Survey Dept. 1875-1895, mountaineer (subsp. Napothera epilepidota, Stachyris).

SUBSPECIES

White-bellied Robin-Chat (White-bellied)
SCI Name: Cossyphicula roberti roberti
roberti
• Robert Owen (1838-1880) English engineer, landowner in Guatemala (Paul Scofield in litt.); "Owen's Sabre-wing  ... It was collected in the Vera Paz mountains of Central America by Mr. Robert Owen, after whom it has been named" (Gould 1861) (subsp. Campylopterus cuvierii).
• Robert Ridgway (1850-1929) US ornithologist, Smithsonian Curator of Birds 1880-1929 (syn. Cantorchilus modestus).
• Alphonse Robert (fl. 1903) French botanist, collector in Madagascar 1894-1896, Brazil and Paraguay 1901-1903 (Conopophaga, ‡Hovacrex).
• Maj. Robert Alexander (1873-1928) brother of British explorer Capt. Boyd Alexander (Cossyphicula).
• Robert Hamilton Mathews (1841-1918) Australian surveyor, anthropologist, ethnologist, father of ornithologist Gregory M. Mathews (syn. Cygnus atratus, syn. Zapornia tabuensis).
• Frederick William Robert (fl. 1895) Australian surveyor in Indian Survey Dept. 1875-1895, mountaineer (subsp. Napothera epilepidota, Stachyris).

White-bellied Robin-Chat (Albertine)
SCI Name: Cossyphicula roberti rufescentior
rufescentior
L. rufescentior, rufescentioris  more reddish  < comp. rufescens, rufescentis  reddish  < rufescere  to become reddish  < rufus  red, rufous.