Brown-chested Alethe
Chamaetylas poliocephala
Silhouette: Martin Bulla, based on François Desbordes' illustration · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderPasseriformes (Perching Birds)
- FamilyMuscicapidae (Old World Flycatchers, Robins, and Chats)
- GenusChamaetylas (False Alethes)
- SpeciesChamaetylas poliocephala (Brown-chested Alethe)
About the Brown-chested Alethe
The brown-chested alethe (Chamaetylas poliocephala) is a species of bird in the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae. It has a discontinuous range of presence across the African tropical rainforest. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest.
The brown-chested alethe was formally described in 1850 by the French naturalist Charles Lucien Bonaparte based on a manuscript by Coenraad Temminck. Bonaparte gave the binomial name as Trichophorus (Griniger) and the locality as Africa. The locality has been restricted to the island of Bioko (formally Fernando Po). The specific epithet combines the Ancient Greek polios meaning "grey" with -kephalos meaning "-headed". The brown-chested alethe is now one of four species placed in the genus Chamaetylas that was introduced in 1860 by Ferdinand Heine.
Nine subspecies are recognised: C. p. poliocephala (Bonaparte, 1850) – Sierra Leone to Ghana C. p. compsonota (Cassin, 1859) – south Nigeria to southwest Central African Republic, northwest Angola and Bioko C. p. hallae (Traylor, 1961) – west Angola
C. p. giloensis (Cunningham-Van Someren & Schifter, 1981)... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Brown-chested Alethe in Queen Elizabeth National Park
LIVEiNaturalistClosest Relatives at Queen Elizabeth National Park
Red-throated Alethe
Chamaetylas poliophrys
White-browed Robin-Chat
Cossypha heuglini
Northern Black-Flycatcher
Melaenornis edolioides
Swamp Flycatcher
Muscicapa aquatica
Sooty Chat
Myrmecocichla nigra
Snowy-crowned Robin-Chat
Cossypha niveicapilla
Whinchat
Saxicola rubetra
Brown-backed Scrub Robin
Erythropygia hartlaubi
White-browed Scrub Robin
Erythropygia leucophrys
Cassin's Flycatcher
Muscicapa cassini
African Dusky Flycatcher
Muscicapa adusta
Grey Tit-Flycatcher
Myioparus plumbeus
Global Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Semuliki National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 2 | Kibale National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 3 | Queen Elizabeth National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 4 | Bwindi Impenetrable National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 5 | Virunga National Park | 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo | |
| 6 | Aberdare National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Brown-chested Alethe in Queen Elizabeth National Park?
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Brown-chested Alethe sighting in Queen Elizabeth National Park, based on 12 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Brown-chested Alethe in Queen Elizabeth National Park?
March has the highest sighting rate for Brown-chested Alethe in Queen Elizabeth National Park in our monthly data.