Difference between revisions of "Cape Batis" - BirdForum Opus

Latest revision as of 18:11, 6 August 2023

Male
Photo © by max1
Paarl, Western Cape, South Africa, 23 November 2015

Alternative name: Cape Puffback

Batis capensis

Identification

Female
Photo © by louisdup
Baviaanskloof, South Africa, October 2005

Cape Batises have large heads relative to their small bodies. They weigh 5.1 ounces (13 grams) and are 6 inches (15 centimeters) long. They have short tails, round wings, and orange eyes.

Adult male: Has a dark blue-gray back and tail, black head with a grey crown, white throat and belly, reddish brown flanks, and a black breast band.

Adult female: Similar to the male, but with reddish brown throat patch and breast band.

Variation

Variation is mainly in size (northern races larger) and shades of grey versus rufous plumage.

Distribution

Southern Africa: Zimbabwe, southern Malawi, South Africa, Mozambique, KwaZulu-Natal, Lesotho and eSwatini

Taxonomy

Male Cape Batis feeding a juvenule Klaas's Cuckoo
Photo © by Alan Manson
Slanghoek Mountain Resort, Western Cape, South Africa, January 2009

Malawi Batis was formerly included in this species. The split seems to have been caused by observing both forms coexisting in the same area.

Subspecies

Four subspecies are recognized^[1]:

B. c. capensis

Southern South Africa, east to Free State and southern KwaZulu-Natal

B. c. hollidayi

Northeastern South Africa, Lesotho, ESwatini and Mozambique (Lebombo Range)

B. c. kennedyi

Southwestern Zimbabwe (Mopoto Hills region)

B. c. erythrophthalma

eastern highlands of Zimbabwe and adjacent western Mozambique, also locally in southern Malawi

Habitat

The Cape Batis makes his home in forests, scrub, and planted gardens in southern Africa. Their range is from sea level to 7,050 feet (2,150 meters).

Behaviour

Diet

Like other flycatchers, Cape Batises eat insects and actively seek them throughout the forest canopy by flushing, frightening, them from their places of cover, hiding. The birds then capture their prey as it flies.

Breeding

This species mates from September to December, building a small cup-shaped nest of dry grasses, held together with spider webs. The nest is built low in thick brush in the fork of a branch and holds one to three eggs. The female incubates, sits on and warms, the eggs for seventeen to twenty-one days. Mating pairs stay together for life. Parasitised by Klaas's Cuckoo.

References

Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2022. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2022. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
Gill, F, D Donsker, and P Rasmussen (Eds). 2023. IOC World Bird List (v 13.2). Doi 10.14344/IOC.ML.13.2. http://www.worldbirdnames.org/
Fjeldsaa J, RCK Bowie and J Kiure. 2006. The Forest Batis, Batis mixta is two species: description of a new, narrowly distributed Batis species in the Eastern Arc biodiversity hotspot. Journal of Ornithology 147, 578-590.
Dickinson, EC, ed. 2003. The Howard and Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World. 3rd ed., with updates to December 2007 (Corrigenda 7). Princeton: Princeton Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0691117010
Percy Fitzpatrick Institute. 2006. A new Batis in East Africa. Africa Birds and Birding Vol. 11, Part 6, p26. (Available at http://www.fitzpatrick.uct.ac.za/pdf/fitzdj06.pdf)
Avibase

List of references

Recommended Citation

BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Cape Batis. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 20 May 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Cape_Batis

External Links

Search for photos of Cape Batis in the gallery

GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-[[Image:Cape_Batis.jpg|thumb|550px|right|Female Cape Batis<br />Photo by louisdup<br />Baviaanskloof, South Africa]]
+[[File:Cape_Batis_Male_MAX1.jpg|thumb|550px|right|Male<br />Photo &copy; by {{user|max1|max1}}<br />Paarl, Western Cape, [[South Africa]], 23 November 2015]]
+'''Alternative name: Cape Puffback'''
 ;[[:Category:Batis|Batis]] capensis
-'''Includes Malawi Batis and Reichenow's Batis'''
 ==Identification==
-Also called Cape Puffbacks, Cape Batises have large heads relative to their small bodies. They weigh 5.1 ounces (13 grams) and are 6 inches (15 centimeters) long. They have short tails, round wings, and orange eyes. Males have dark blue-gray backs and tails, black heads, white throats and bellies edged in reddish brown, and a black breast band. Females have brown heads, a brownish wash over the breast, and no breast band.
+[[Image:Cape_Batis.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Female<br />Photo &copy; by {{user|louisdup|louisdup}} <br />Baviaanskloof, [[South Africa]], October 2005]]
+Cape Batises have large heads relative to their small bodies. They weigh 5.1 ounces (13 grams) and are 6 inches (15 centimeters) long. They have short tails, round wings, and orange eyes.
+'''Adult male''': Has a dark blue-gray back and tail, black head with a grey crown, white throat and belly, reddish brown flanks, and a black breast band.
+'''Adult female''': Similar to the male, but with reddish brown throat patch and breast band.
+====Variation====
+Variation is mainly in size (northern races larger) and shades of grey versus rufous plumage.
 ==Distribution==
-Southern [[Africa]].
+'''Southern Africa''': [[Zimbabwe]], southern [[Malawi]], [[South Africa]], [[Mozambique]], [[KwaZulu-Natal]], [[Lesotho]] and [[eSwatini]]
 ==Taxonomy==
-''Batis capensis'' has seven subspecies, variation being mainly in size (northern races larger) and shades of grey and rufous plumage:<sup>[[#References|1]],[[#References|2]]</sup>
+[[Image:2009_01_19_CapeBatis_and_KlaassCuckoo_AManson.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Male Cape Batis feeding a juvenule [[Klaas's Cuckoo]]<br />Photo &copy; by {{user|Alan+Manson|Alan Manson}} <br /> Slanghoek Mountain Resort, Western Cape, [[South Africa]], January 2009]]
+[[Malawi Batis]] was formerly included in this species. The split seems to have been caused by observing both forms coexisting in the same area.
+====Subspecies====
+Four subspecies are recognized<sup>[[#References|[1]]]</sup>:
 *''B. c. capensis''
-:*Southern and south-eastern South Africa
+:*Southern [[South Africa]], east to Free State and southern KwaZulu-Natal
 *''B. c. hollidayi''
-:*Eastern South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland
+:*Northeastern [[South Africa]], [[Lesotho]], [[ESwatini]] and [[Mozambique]] (Lebombo Range)
 *''B. c. kennedyi''
-:*Eastern highlands of Zimbabwe and adjascent Mozambique highlands
+:*Southwestern [[Zimbabwe]] (Mopoto Hills region)
 *''B. c. erythrophthalma''
-:*South-central plateau of Zimbabwe
+:*eastern highlands of [[Zimbabwe]] and adjacent western [[Mozambique]], also locally in southern [[Malawi]]
-*''B. c. dimorpha''
-:*Mountains of southern Malawi and adjacent Mozambique
-*''B. c. sola''
-:*Northern Malawi
-*''B. c. reichenowi''
-:*South-eastern Tanzania
-Sibley & Monroe<sup>[[#References|6]]</sup> recognised the Malawi Batis (''B. c. dimorpha'' and ''B. c. sola'') and Reichenow's Batis (''B. c. reichenowi'') as separate species.  These splits from the Cape Batis have, however, not been recognised by Clements<sup>[[#References|1]]</sup> or Howard & Moore<sup>[[#References|3]]</sup>.  Recent genetic evidence from a study of the forest ''Batis'' species<sup>[[#References|2]],[[#References|5]]</sup> indictates that birds from Malawi are closely related to South African birds, but the two populations are sufficiently different to recognise them as separate species. However, birds from Zimbabwe and Mozambique were not included in this study.
 ==Habitat==
 The Cape Batis makes his home in forests, scrub, and planted gardens in southern [[Africa]]. Their range is from sea level to 7,050 feet (2,150 meters).
 ==Behaviour==
-'''Diet''' - Like other flycatchers, Cape Batises eat insects and actively seek them throughout the forest canopy by flushing, frightening, them from their places of cover, hiding. The birds then capture their prey as it flies.
+====Diet====
+Like other flycatchers, Cape Batises eat insects and actively seek them throughout the forest canopy by flushing, frightening, them from their places of cover, hiding. The birds then capture their prey as it flies.
-'''Breeding''' - This species mates from September to December, building a small cup-shaped nest of dry grasses, held together with spider webs. The nest is built low in thick brush in the fork of a branch and holds one to three eggs. The female incubates, sits on and warms, the eggs for seventeen to twenty-one days. Mating pairs stay together for life.
+====Breeding====
+This species mates from September to December, building a small cup-shaped nest of dry grasses, held together with spider webs. The nest is built low in thick brush in the fork of a branch and holds one to three eggs. The female incubates, sits on and warms, the eggs for seventeen to twenty-one days. Mating pairs stay together for life.  Parasitised by [[Klaas's Cuckoo]].
 ==References==
-#{{Ref-Clements6thOct07}}#Feldsa J, RCK Bowie and J Kiure. 2006. The Forest Batis, ''Batis mixta'' is two species: description of a new, narrowly distributed ''Batis'' species in the Eastern Arc biodiversity hotspot. Journal of Ornithology 147, 578-590.
+#{{Ref-Clements6thOct22}}#{{Ref-GillDonskerRasmussen22V13.2}}#Fjeldsaa J, RCK Bowie and J Kiure. 2006. The Forest Batis, ''Batis mixta'' is two species: description of a new, narrowly distributed ''Batis'' species in the Eastern Arc biodiversity hotspot. Journal of Ornithology 147, 578-590.
-#{{Ref-HM03Cor7}}#{{Ref-GillWright08}}#Percy Fitzpatrick Institute. 2006. A new ''Batis'' in East Africa. Africa Birds and Birding Vol. 11, Part 6, p26. (Avilable at http://www.fitzpatrick.uct.ac.za/pdf/fitzdj06.pdf)
+#{{Ref-HM03Cor7}}#Percy Fitzpatrick Institute. 2006. A new ''Batis'' in East Africa. Africa Birds and Birding Vol. 11, Part 6, p26. (Available at http://www.fitzpatrick.uct.ac.za/pdf/fitzdj06.pdf)
-#{{Ref-SibleyMonroe96}}
+#Avibase
 {{ref}}
 ==External Links==
-{{GSearch|Batis+capensis}}
+{{GSearch| "Batis capensis" {{!}} "Cape Batis"}}
+{{GS-checked}}1<br /><br />
 [[Category:Birds]][[Category:Batis]]