[4] Swynnerton's robin was first formally described as Erythracus swynnertoni in 1906 by the English geologist and ornithologist George Ernest Shelley.

[6] The genus Swynnertonia is classified within the subfamily Erithacinae of the large passerine family Muscicapidae, the chats and Old World flycatchers.

[6] The subspecies S. s. rodgersi has a subspecific epithet which honours Dr W. A. Rodgers who drew Jensen and Stuart's attention to the biological importance of the type locality of this form, the Mwanihana Forest.

Juveniles are spotted buffy yellow on the head and upper parts, while the chest crescent is pale greyish brown.

This species prefers dense undergrowth where there is a high density of saplings, or rank vegetation in the vicinity of streams.

[15] Swynnerton's robin is largely insectivorous and has been recorded feeding on beetles, wasps, bees, ants, flies, crickets, grasshoppers, spiders and millipedes.

The nest is an open cup made of dead leaves, other plant material and mosses, the birds line it with dark fibres that they find at the bases of Cyathea tree ferns.

From about two week the females joins the male in foraging and the chicks fledge at 14 days old,[16] Other than when the adults are attending fledgelings this species is typically found in pairs.