The Sangha forest robin (''Stiphrornis erythrothorax sanghensis'') is a

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

of the

forest robin The forest robin or orange-breasted forest robin (''Stiphrornis erythrothorax'') is a species of bird from Central and West Africa. It is monotypic in the genus ''Stiphrornis''. It has been placed in the family Turdidae, but is now generally plac ...

that is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to south-western

Central African Republic The Central African Republic (CAR; ; , RCA; , or , ) is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Chad to the north, Sudan to the northeast, South Sudan to the southeast, the DR Congo to the south, the Republic of th ...

, but may also occur in adjacent parts of

DR Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

Cameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...

and

Republic of the Congo The Republic of the Congo (french: République du Congo, ln, Republíki ya Kongó), also known as Congo-Brazzaville, the Congo Republic or simply either Congo or the Congo, is a country located in the western coast of Central Africa to the w ...

. It was only discovered in 1996, and

scientifically described A species description is a formal description of a newly discovered species, usually in the form of a scientific paper. Its purpose is to give a clear description of a new species of organism and explain how it differs from species that have be ...

in 1999.Beresford, P. & Cracraft, J. (1999). ''Speciation in African forest robins (Stiphrornis): species limits, phylogenetic relationships, and molecular biogeography.'' American Museum Novitates 3270: 1–22
PDF available.
/ref> When recognized as a species by

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

, it was considered

data deficient A data deficient (DD) species is one which has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as offering insufficient information for a proper assessment of conservation status to be made. This does not necessaril ...

, but following recommendations by the

BirdLife BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding i ...

Taxonomic Working Group, IUCN now consider it a subspecies of the forest robin. It has been described as common.Collar, N. (2005). Forest Robin (Stiphrornis erythrothorax). Pp. 730-731 in: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., & Christie, D. eds. (2005). ''Handbook of the Birds of the World.'' Vol. 10. Cuckoo-shrikes to Thrushes. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. Clements includes this subspecies in the yellow-breasted forest robinspecies group, ''Stiphrornis mabirae''.

References

A New Species of Robin
Stiphrornis Birds described in 1999 Taxa named by Joel Cracraft {{Muscicapidae-stub