Ituri batis facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ituri batis
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Platysteiridae
Genus:	Batis
Species:	B. ituriensis
Binomial name
Batis ituriensis Chapin, 1921
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The Ituri batis or Chapin's batis (Batis ituriensis) is a small and colorful bird. It belongs to the wattle-eye family, called Platysteiridae. This bird lives in the humid forests of eastern central Africa.

What Does the Ituri Batis Look Like?

The Ituri batis is a very tiny bird, mostly black and white. It looks a bit like a small shrike (a bird known for catching insects) or an Old World flycatcher (a bird that catches flying insects). Its belly is white, and it has a wide black band across its chest. Its head is black, with a clear white spot near its beak called a loral spot. It also has bright yellow eyes!

The back and wings of the Ituri batis are black. There is a white stripe on its wings and white feathers on the outer part of its otherwise black tail. Female Ituri batises look much like the males. However, females have a thin white line above their eye, called a supercilium. Young birds are a bit more brownish on top and grayer underneath. The Ituri batis is about 9.5 to 10 centimeters (3.7 to 3.9 inches) long.

Where Does the Ituri Batis Live?

The Ituri batis lives in the eastern part of the Congo Basin. You can find it in the Ituri and Itombwe areas of the northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo. It is not very common there. It is more common in the Budongo Forest in western Uganda.

This bird prefers to live in lowland forests, usually between 900 and 1,300 meters (2,950 and 4,265 feet) high. It likes forests that have been changed by people, such as secondary forests (forests that have grown back after being cut down). It also likes farm areas with tall trees scattered around, like plantations. It usually avoids thick, untouched rainforests.

Ituri Batis Behavior and Life Cycle

We don't know a lot about the Ituri batis's habits. However, like other batises, it is probably territorial. This means it defends its own space. It is also likely to be quite solitary, meaning it often stays alone. Even so, groups of six birds have been seen together.

The Ituri batis is a restless and active bird. It looks for food high up in the tops of trees, which are called canopies. It eats insects and other small creatures. We don't know much about how they reproduce. We do know that males have been seen feeding females in March in Uganda. Also, baby birds have been found in June. There is also some evidence that they might breed from February to August.