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the web of life in southern Africa

Oreophilais robertsi (Roberts's warbler, Brier warbler) 

Woudlangstertjie [Afrikaans]; Prinia de Roberts [French]; Roberts-prinie [German]; Felosa de Roberts [Portuguese]

Life > Eukaryotes > Opisthokonta > Metazoa (animals) > Bilateria > Deuterostomia > Chordata > Craniata > Vertebrata (vertebrates)  > Gnathostomata (jawed vertebrates) > Teleostomi (teleost fish) > Osteichthyes (bony fish) > Class: Sarcopterygii (lobe-finned fish) > Stegocephalia (terrestrial vertebrates) > Tetrapoda (four-legged vertebrates) > Reptiliomorpha > Amniota > Reptilia (reptiles) > Romeriida > Diapsida > Archosauromorpha > Archosauria > Dinosauria (dinosaurs) > Saurischia > Theropoda (bipedal predatory dinosaurs) > Coelurosauria > Maniraptora > Aves (birds) > Order: Passeriformes > Family: Cisticolidae

Distribution and habitat

Endemic to Zimbabwe's eastern highlands extending into Mozambique, mainly occurring in forest along streams, in clearings or in dense bracken (Pteridium) and briar (Smilax) along the edge of the forest.

Food 

It mainly eats small invertebrates, foraging alone, in pairs or in noisy groups, often along with other species gleaning prey from the undergrowth. The following food items have been recorded in its diet:

Breeding

  • The nest is oval-shaped with a side-top entrance, made of fine grass and moss secured with spider web. It is typically placed about 1 metre above ground in herb or shrub.
  • Egg-laying season is from September-February, peaking during October.
  • It lays 2-3 bright turquoise eggs, with brown and lilac spots.

Threats

Not threatened, although fragmentation of forest patches is cause for concern.

References

  • Hockey PAR, Dean WRJ and Ryan PG 2005. Roberts - Birds of southern Africa, VIIth ed. The Trustees of the John Voelcker Bird Book Fund, Cape Town.