Class Aves Family Platysteiridae | Phylum Chordata Order Passeriformes Rank Species | |
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Similar Batis, Southern boubou, Bar‑throated apalis, Cape robin‑chat, Sombre greenbul | ||
Cape batis filmed by greg morgan
The Cape batis (Batis capensis) is a small, stout insect-eating passerine bird in the wattle-eye family. It is endemic to the Afromontane forests of southern Africa.
Contents
- Cape batis filmed by greg morgan
- Birding in the eastern cape south africa cape batis
- Range and habitat
- Description
- Habits
- References
Birding in the eastern cape south africa cape batis
Range and habitat
It is resident in cool coastal forests, moist evergreen mountain forests and wooded gorges of South Africa, Swaziland and the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe.
Description
The Cape batis is strikingly patterned. The adult male has a grey crown, black eye mask and white throat. Its back is brown, with a black rump and tail and rufous wings. The underparts are white with a broad black breast band and rufous flanks. The female and juvenile plumages differ in that the breast band is narrower and rufous, not black, and there is a small rufous patch on the throat. Their rufous wings and flanks distinguish them from other Batis species in the region.
Habits
Both the male and the female will aggressively defend their territory. When larger birds of prey, animals or humans approach, the bird will often perch conspicuously near the intruder and angrily protest audibly. The Cape batis hunts by flycatching, or by taking prey from the ground like a shrike. The song is typically a triple whistle cherra-warra-warra or foo-foo-foo. The nest is a small neat cup low in a tree or bush.
