- Batis orientalis
Identification
Size 10-11 cm (4-4½ in).
Similar Species
Similar to Eastern Black-headed Batis and Western Black-headed Batis, but has a paler grey crown over much of its range. However, in coastal East Africa, Eastern Black-headed Batis also has a fairly pale crown; here Grey-headed Batis is best identified by call and its preference for drier habitat.
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Distribution
Africa: Nigeria, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Sudan, Uganda, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Somalia, and Kenya.
Taxonomy
Batis orientalis has four subspecies:[1]
- B. o. bella
- B. o. orientalis
- B. o. chadensis
- B. o. lynesi
- Northern Sudan (eastern Red Sea Province)
Habitat
Semi-arid savanna (including acacia savanna)
Behaviour
Diet
Their diet consists of insects such as ants which are gleaned from leaves in the mid or lower levels of trees.
Vocalisation
A series of four or more descending whistles.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2015. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2015, with updates to August 2015. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Sinclair, I and P Ryan. 2003. Birds of Africa South of the Sahara. Princeton: Princeton Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0691118154
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved September 2015)
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Grey-headed Batis. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 6 May 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Grey-headed_Batis
