Pygmy batis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Pygmy batis |
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The pygmy batis (Batis perkeo) is a tiny bird that loves to eat insects. It finds its food by looking carefully among leaves. This bird belongs to a group called wattle-eyes, also known as the Platysteiridae family. You can find pygmy batis birds living in the dry grasslands of north-eastern Africa.
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What Does the Pygmy Batis Look Like?
The pygmy batis is a very small bird, just like its name suggests. It's a neat and tidy bird with colors of black, white, and grey. It looks a bit like a flycatcher.
Male Pygmy Batis Appearance
Male pygmy batis birds have a bluish-grey head and back. They have a black mask on their face that stands out. Above their yellow eyes, they have a short white stripe, like an eyebrow. Their lower back and rump (the area above the tail) have white spots. The feathers on their rump are quite long, making them look fluffy.
Their wings are black, but they have a wide white stripe. This stripe comes from the white edges of certain feathers. The tail is black, but the feathers on the outer edges have white tips and edges. The underside of the bird is white, with a thin black band across its chest.
Female Pygmy Batis Appearance
Female pygmy batis birds look a lot like the males. However, their chest band and chin are a pale reddish-brown color. Their face mask, eyebrow stripe, and wing stripe are also a buffy brown color instead of black or white. Both males and females have black beaks and legs.
Size and Weight
The pygmy batis is truly tiny! It is only about 8–9 cm (3.1–3.5 in) long. This is roughly the length of your finger. It weighs about 5–9 g (0.18–0.32 oz), which is lighter than a single coin.
Pygmy Batis Calls and Songs
The main sound the pygmy batis makes is a long series of sharp, high-pitched whistles. It repeats these whistles many times.
Where Do Pygmy Batis Birds Live?
You can find the pygmy batis in several parts of Africa. They live in southern Ethiopia and the very southeastern part of South Sudan. They are also found in southern Somalia, eastern Uganda, inland Kenya, and northeastern Tanzania.
Pygmy Batis Habitat
These birds prefer to live in scrubland. This means areas with bushes and small trees. They especially like places with Senegalia spp and Commiphora spp plants, which are often thorny. These areas are usually dry or semi-dry lowlands. They get between 250 and 500 mm (9.8 and 19.7 in) of rain each year. You might also see them in wooded grasslands. However, they tend to avoid forests that grow along rivers.
Pygmy Batis Habits and Life
The pygmy batis is an active bird that spends most of its time in trees. They usually live in pairs or small family groups. Their daily habits are thought to be similar to other batis birds that live in grasslands.
What Do They Eat?
Pygmy batis birds mainly eat insects. They find most of their insect prey by carefully looking at leaves and small branches. They pick the insects right off the plants. Sometimes, they will also catch insects while flying. These birds might even join other bird species to hunt for food together in "mixed foraging parties."
Pygmy Batis Reproduction
Not much is known about how pygmy batis birds raise their young. However, it is believed that they probably lay their eggs in February and March.
