Alternative name: Knysna Scrub Warbler
- Bradypterus sylvaticus
Identification
Length 14-15 cm, mass 21 g. Adult male: Has dark brown upperparts and paler underparts. The throat and breast are streaked dark brown. Has indistinct grey eyebrows, dark triangular loral spots with whitish borders, and a pale orbital ring. Adult female: Similar to the male, but lacks the dark loral spot and has a less distinct orbital ring. Juvenile: Similar to the adult female, but the face and underparts are yellowish.
Distribution
Southern coast of South Africa. Sedentary.
Taxonomy
Bradypterus is a genus of small brownish warblers with fairly broad bills. There are about 18 species from Africa and Asia, four of which occur in southern Africa.
There are two subspecies: The eastern subspecies, B. s. pondoensis is darker than the nominate (described above) and lacks streaks below.
Habitat
Short, dense thickets (including those with Lantana camara and bramble) along forest edges and watercourses.
Behaviour
Forages for invertebrates on the ground in dense cover. Difficult to locate if not calling.
