| Grey-headed batis | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Platysteiridae |
| Genus: | Batis |
| Species: | B. orientalis |
| Binomial name | |
| Batis orientalis (Heuglin, 1870) | |
The grey-headed batis (Batis orientalis) is a species of bird in the wattle-eyes family, Platysteiridae, it was previously classified with the Old World flycatchers in the family Muscicapidae. It is found in eastern and central Africa.
The grey headed batis is a small grey, black and white bird with restless habits. In the adult males the forehead, crown and nape are bluish black, there is a small white loral spot which extends into a long, broad, supercilium, there is a small white patch on the nape and the face mask is glossy black. The mantle and back aredark grey with a tinge of glossy black, the fluffy rump is white and the uppertail coverts are black. The wing is black with a white stripe and the tail is black with white outer tail feathers. The underparts are white, except for a glossy black breast band and blackish underwing coverts. The female is similar to the male but has a chestnut or rufous breast band. It has yellow eyes, a black bill and black legs. [2] The grey-headed batis measures 10–11 cm (3.9–4.3 in) in length and weighs 8.8–13.4 g (0.31–0.47 oz). [3]
It is found in western central and east Africa from Niger and Nigeria in the west east to Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia south to Uganda and Kenya. [1]
The natural habitats of the grey headed batis are dry savanna and subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland and arid thornbush and semi desert scrub from sea level up to 2,100 m (6,900 ft), in Ethiopia. [2] [4]
The grey-headed batis is solitary or seen in pairs, spending time in the canopy of bushes, moving about restlessly, foraging in the shade in the middle of the bush. It feeds on insects. The breeding biology is little known; the male may perform a courtship flight but this record may have referred to a pygmy batis. The cup nest is made of bark strips and spider webs, concealed in the central fork of a thorn tree, in which 2–3 pale blue eggs are laid. [2]
There are four currently recognised subspecies: [5]
The chestnut-backed sparrow-lark is a passerine bird which is a resident breeder in Africa south of the Sahara Desert.
The cardinal woodpecker is a widespread and common resident breeder in much of sub-Saharan Africa. It occurs in a wide range of habitats, ranging from dense forest to thorn bush. It is fairly vocal and is easily identified by its call notes. The sexes are distinguishable by their head patterns.
Erckel's spurfowl, also known as Erckel's francolin, is a species of game bird in the family Phasianidae.
The Taita fiscal or Teita fiscal is a member of the shrike family found in east Africa from southeastern South Sudan, southern Ethiopia, and western Somalia to northeastern Tanzania. Its habitat is dry open thornbush and acacia and other dry open woodland.
Hemprich's hornbill is a species of hornbill in the family Bucerotidae. It is found in Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, and Uganda.
The black-billed wood hoopoe is a species of bird in the family Phoeniculidae. It is native to eastern Africa where it is found in wooded and scrubby areas.
The little brown bustard is a species of bird in the family Otididae. Found in Ethiopia and Somalia, its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrubland and subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland. As indicated by its name, this bustard is the world's smallest at 45 cm (18 in) and 600 grams (1.3 lb). It is threatened by habitat destruction.
The Ituri batis or Chapin's batis is a species of bird in the wattle-eye family, Platysteiridae which is found in the humid forests of eastern central Africa.
The eastern black-headed batis is a passerine bird in the family Platysteiridae from eastern Africa. It was formerly treated as conspecific with the western black-headed batis.
The Angola batis is a species of bird in the family Platysteiridae. It is found in western central Africa.
The pygmy batis is a very small insectivorous bird which finds its food foraging among leaves, it is a member of the wattle-eyes family, the Platysteiridae. It occurs in the dry savannahs of north-eastern Africa.
The Fernando Pó batis, also known as the Bioko batis, is a species of bird in the family Platysteiridae. It is endemic to the island of Bioko in Equatorial Guinea.
The Senegal batis is a species of small passerine bird in the wattle-eyes family, Platysteiridae. It occurs in western Africa where it is found in dry savanna and subtropical or tropical dry shrubland. It was originally given the binomial name Muscicapa senegalensis by Carl Linnaeus in 1766.
Rüppell's robin-chat is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae, that is native to the Afrotropics. It is named for the German naturalist Eduard Rüppell.
The baglafecht weaver is a species of weaver bird from the family Ploceidae which is found in eastern and central Africa. There are several disjunct populations with distinguishable plumage patterns. Only some races display a discrete non-breeding plumage.
Heuglin's white-eye, also known as the Ethiopian white-eye, is a species of bird in the family Zosteropidae. It is found in north-eastern and eastern Africa, primarily in Ethiopia and Kenya. Its natural habitats range from subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, to subtropical or tropical high-altitude shrubland, plantations, and rural gardens.
The Nubian woodpecker is a species of bird in the family Picidae. It is distributed widely in Central and Eastern Africa, from Chad in west to Somalia in east and Tanzania in south. It is a fairly common species with a wide range, the population seems stable, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being of "least concern".
The black-billed barbet is a species of bird in the Lybiidae family.
The yellow-breasted barbet is a species of bird in the Lybiidae family. It is found in Burkina Faso, Chad, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Somalia, and Sudan.
The double-banded courser, also known as the two-banded courser, is a species of bird in the family Glareolidae.
