Prigogine, A. 1988.
Une nouvelle sous-espèce du Cossyphe du Natal, Cossypha natalensis, du nord-est de la region afrotropicale.
Le Gerfaut, 77(1987): 477–484.

In French; summaries in English and Dutch.

Résumé

Une nouvelle espèce du Cossyphe du Natal, Cossypha natalensis clanceyi, est décrite du Soudan. Elle existe également en Ethiopie, en République Centrafricaine et en Uganda. Quelques spécimens ont été trouvés autour du Graben, au Rwanda et au Zaïre. Cette sous-espèce semble être sédentaire, mais des mouvements de petite distance ne sont pas exclus, surtout dans les parties septentrionales de son aire de distribution. La nidification a été constatée en janvier, mars, avril et août au Soudan, en juin dans la République Centrafricaine et en Uganda en mai et en octobre. Au Rwanda nord-oriental, la reproduction a été signalée en janvier et en mars. La population trouvée au Nigéria pourrait appartenir à la race clanceyi. De même, il est possible que les deux spécimens récoltés au Cameroun et au Gabon sont des clanceyi, mais un nombre plus élevé de spécimens est nécessaire pour arriver à une conclusion.

Abstract

A new subspecies of the Red-capped Robin-chat, Cossypha natalensis clanceyi has been described from Sudan. This subspecies also inhabits Ethiopia, the Central African Republic and Uganda. More to the south several specimens of clanceyi have been collected in Rwanda and around the Graben, in Zaire. This subspecies is probably sedentary, but migrations over small distance are probable, especially in the northern part of its range. Breeding has been found in January, March, April and August in Sudan, in June in the Central African Republic and in May and October in Uganda. In northeastern Rwanda nesting has been reported in January and March. The population recorded from Nigeria belongs probably to clanceyi. The 2 specimens collected in Cameroon and Gabon possibly belong to clanceyi. but more specimens are needed to arrive at a conclusion.

Notes

In Dickinson, E.C. and Christidis, L. eds. 2014.
The Howard and Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World, 4th Edition, Vol. 2 Passerines.
Aves Press, Eastbourne, UK

This paper is dated 1988. The paper copy of the journal provides no information on the publication dates of the various fascicles, but the paper did appear in the last number of the 1987 volume (i.e. 77(4)) and a date stamp on the cover of Fascicle #4 by the Iowa State University library gives the receipt date of 23 August 1989, lending credence to a post-1987 publication date.

Handbook of the Birds of the World does not recognize this subspecies (accessed on 03 November 2019):

Red-capped Robin-chat (Cossypha natalensis)
Taxonomy
French: Cossyphe à calotte rousse; German: Natalrötel; Spanish: Cosifa de Natal Other common names:Rufous-capped Robin-chat Taxonomy: Cossypha natalensis A. Smith, 1840, neighborhood of Port Natal [= Durban], South Africa.

Several records of hybridization with C. dichroa in E South Africa and incidence of this is probably more widespread than previously suspected; hybrids described as C. haagneri. Additional races have been described (garguensis, tennenti, seclusa and clanceyi very rarely recognized, hylophona in highlands of SW Tanzania to W Mozambique occasionally so), but unequivocal diagnosis of any of these generally problematic, and further complicated by imperfectly understood migratory regimes. 3 subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution

• C. n. larischi Meise, 1958 – C Nigeria S to N & W Angola.
• C. n. intensa Mearns, 1913 – SE Central African Republic, S South Sudan, SW Ethiopia and S Somalia S to E Angola and NE South Africa.
• C. n. natalensis A. Smith, 1840 – E South Africa (KwaZulu-Natal S to Eastern Cape).

See also:
Schorger, A.W. 1955.
Review of "The Birds of French Cameroon."
Auk, 72: 100-101.