• Summary
• Text account
• Data table and detailed info
• Distribution map
• Climate Change maps
• Reference and further resources

Taxonomic note

Previously listed as Oreocossypha isabellae (del Hoyo and Collar 2016) and before that as Cossypha isabellae, but unpublished genetic data (Per Alström, in litt via WGAC) clearly place isabellae as sister to Cossyphicula roberti. Has sometimes been placed in genus Dryocichloides or in Sheppardia. Two subspecies recognized.

Taxonomic source(s)
Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International. 2022. Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International digital checklist of the birds of the world. Version 7. Available at: https://datazone.birdlife.org/userfiles/file/Species/Taxonomy/HBW-BirdLife_Checklist_v7_Dec22.zip.

Red List criteria met

Critically Endangered	Endangered	Vulnerable
-	-	-

Red List history

Year	Category	Criteria
2024	Least Concern
2016	Least Concern
2012	Least Concern
2009	Least Concern
2008	Least Concern
2004	Least Concern
2000	Lower Risk/Least Concern
1994	Lower Risk/Least Concern
1988	Lower Risk/Least Concern

Migratory status	not a migrant	Forest dependency	medium
Land-mass type		Average mass	24 g

	Estimate	Data quality
Extent of Occurrence (breeding/resident)	89,600 km2	medium
Severely fragmented?	no	-

	Estimate	Data quality	Derivation	Year of estimate
Population size	unknown	-	-	-
Population trend	decreasing	-	suspected	-
Generation length	3.28 years	-	-	-

Population justification: The global population size has not been quantified, but the species is described as fairly common and commonest at higher elevations (del Hoyo et al. 2005). The population is suspected to be in decline owing to ongoing habitat destruction and fragmentation.

Trend justification: The population is suspected to be in decline owing to ongoing habitat destruction and fragmentation.

Country/Territory	Presence	Origin	Resident	Breeding visitor	Non-breeding visitor	Passage migrant
Cameroon	extant	native	yes
Nigeria	extant	native	yes

Country/Territory	IBA Name
Cameroon	Bakossi mountains
Cameroon	Bali-Ngemba Forest Reserve
Cameroon	Banyang Mbo Wildlife Sanctuary
Cameroon	Mbi Crater Faunal Reserve - Mbingo forest
Cameroon	Mont Manengouba
Cameroon	Mount Cameroon and Mokoko-Onge
Cameroon	Mount Kupe
Cameroon	Mount Mbam
Cameroon	Mount Oku
Cameroon	Mount Rata and Rumpi Hills Forest Reserve
Cameroon	Njinsing - Tabenken
Cameroon	Tchabal-Mbabo
Nigeria	Gashaka-Gumti National Park
Nigeria	Obudu Plateau

Habitat (level 1)	Habitat (level 2)	Importance	Occurrence
Artificial/Terrestrial	Arable Land	marginal	resident
Forest	Subtropical/Tropical Moist Montane	major	resident
Altitude		Occasional altitudinal limits	(min) 800 m

Purpose	Scale
Pets/display animals, horticulture	international

---

Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Mountain Robin-chat Cossyphicula isabellae. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/mountain-robin-chat-cossyphicula-isabellae on 22/11/2024.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2024) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/search on 22/11/2024.