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Batis soror (Pale batis,
Mozambique batis)
Mosambiekbosbontrokkie [Afrikaans]; Acacia-vliegenvanger
[Dutch]; Pririt pâle [French]; Sansibarschnäpper [German]; Batis de
Moçambique [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: Malaconotidae
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Pale batis, Arabuko-Sokoke forest, Kenya. [photo
Steve Garvie
©] |
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Distribution and habitat
It occurs from Kenya and Tanzania through Malawi to
Mozambique. Here it is locally common, preferring Miombo (Brachystegia)
as well as other broad-leaved woodlands, such as Mopane woodland.
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Distribution of Pale batis in southern Africa,
based on statistical smoothing of the records from first SA Bird Atlas
Project (©
Animal Demography unit, University of
Cape Town; smoothing by Birgit Erni and Francesca Little). Colours range
from dark blue (most common) through to yellow (least common). |
Food
Little is known about its feeding habits other than that it
forages for insects by gleaning them from leaves and branches.
Breeding
- The nest is a small, deep cup built of thin strips of bushwillow (Combretum)
bark and bits of glass inflorescences, cemented with spider web. It is
usually placed in the fork of a branch at least 6 metres above ground.
- It lays about 1-2 eggs, usually during the months of September-November.
- Little more is known about its breeding habits, as this has not been
well studied.
Threats
Not threatened, although habitat destruction in southern
Mozambique may be 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.
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