Grey-headed batis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Grey-headed batis |
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The grey-headed batis (Batis orientalis) is a small, active bird. It belongs to the wattle-eyes family, called Platysteiridae. This bird was once grouped with the Old World flycatchers. You can find the grey-headed batis in eastern and central Africa.
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What Does the Grey-headed Batis Look Like?
The grey-headed batis is a small bird. It has colors like grey, black, and white. These birds are always moving around!
Male and Female Birds
Adult male birds have a bluish-black forehead and crown. They have a small white spot near their eyes. This spot extends into a long, white stripe above their eyes. There is also a small white patch on the back of their neck. Their face has a shiny black mask.
The male's back is dark grey, sometimes with a shiny black tint. Their fluffy rump is white. The feathers covering their upper tail are black. Their wings are black with a white stripe. The tail is black with white feathers on the outside. Their belly and chest are white. They have a shiny black band across their chest. The feathers under their wings are blackish.
Female grey-headed batis birds look much like the males. However, females have a reddish-brown or chestnut-colored chest band. Both males and females have yellow eyes. They also have a black beak and black legs.
Size and Weight
The grey-headed batis is about 10–11 cm (3.9–4.3 in) long. This is about the length of your hand. It weighs between 8.8–13.4 g (0.31–0.47 oz). That is about as light as a few paper clips!
Where Do Grey-headed Batis Birds Live?
You can find the grey-headed batis in western central and eastern Africa. Their range stretches from Niger and Nigeria in the west. It goes east to Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia. Southward, they live in Uganda and Kenya.
Preferred Homes
These birds like dry savanna areas. They also live in dry lowland grasslands. You can find them in arid thornbush and semi-desert scrub. They live from sea level up to 2,100 m (6,900 ft) high in Ethiopia.
How Do Grey-headed Batis Birds Behave?
The grey-headed batis is often seen alone. Sometimes, you might spot them in pairs. They spend their time in the branches of bushes. They move around a lot, always looking for food. They often search for food in the shade, deep inside the bushes.
What Do They Eat?
These birds mainly eat insects. They are good at finding small bugs to munch on.
Reproduction and Nesting
Not much is known about how these birds raise their young. The male bird might do a special flight to attract a mate. However, this behavior might belong to a different type of batis bird.
The grey-headed batis builds a cup-shaped nest. They make it from strips of bark and spider webs. They hide the nest in the middle fork of a thorny tree. Females usually lay 2 to 3 pale blue eggs in the nest.
Types of Grey-headed Batis Birds
Scientists recognize four different types, or subspecies, of the grey-headed batis:
- Batis orientalis orientalis: This type lives in central Eritrea and northern Ethiopia.
- Batis orientalis bella: You can find this type in northern Eritrea and eastern Ethiopia. It also lives in Djibouti, northern Somalia, and northern Kenya.
- Batis orientalis chadensis: This subspecies lives from northeastern Nigeria to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is also found in Chad, South Sudan, and western Ethiopia.
- Batis orientalis lynesi: This type lives in northern Sudan, specifically in the eastern Red Sea Province.
