Margaret's batis facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Margaret's batis
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Platysteiridae
Genus:	Batis
Species:	B. margaritae
Binomial name
Batis margaritae Boulton, 1934
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Margaret's batis (also known as Batis margaritae or Boulton's batis) is a small bird found in central Africa. It belongs to a group of birds called passerines, which are often called "perching birds." This little bird is part of the wattle-eyes family.

About Margaret's Batis

How Scientists Name Them (Taxonomy)

Scientists use special names for plants and animals. This helps everyone know exactly which living thing they are talking about. The Margaret's batis was first described by an American zoologist named Wolfrid Rudyerd Boulton in 1934.

The bird's scientific name, Batis margaritae, and its common name, Margaret's batis, honor an American historian and writer named Margaret Leech (1893-1974).

Scientists recognize two types, or subspecies, of Margaret's batis:

• B. m. margaritae – This type is found on Mount Moco in western Angola.
• B. m. kathleenae – This type lives in the southern Democratic Republic of Congo, in an area called southern Katanga, and in northwestern Zambia. It might also be found in the far east of Angola, in eastern Moxico.

What Margaret's Batis Looks Like

Margaret's batis is a small bird, usually black and white. It looks a bit like a shrike, which is another type of bird. It has a black mask on its face and reddish eyes. Its head is mostly dark gray.

The bird's belly is white, and it has a wide black band across its chest. Both male and female birds have this band. Their wings are black. Males have a white stripe on their wings, while females have a reddish-brown stripe. The tail is black with white feathers on the outside.

Young Margaret's batis birds look like the females but are not as brightly colored. Their eyes are brown. The beak and legs of this bird are black. Margaret's batis is about 11–12 cm (4.3–4.7 in) long and weighs between 11.5–15.5 g (0.41–0.55 oz).

Sounds and Calls

Margaret's batis makes different sounds, including whistles and churring noises. Its call to mark its territory is a soft, thin "hoo-hoo-hoo-hooit-hooit-hooit" that repeats. This call can be long or short. The male and female birds also sing together in a "tweeting" duet.

Where Margaret's Batis Lives (Distribution and Habitat)

Margaret's batis mostly lives in forests where a tree called Cryptosepalum grows. But it can also be found in other types of dry evergreen forests, forests along rivers, and areas with new scrub growth.

These birds are usually seen in pairs. Scientists think they act much like other batises. They look for food in trees. Unlike some other batises, they are not very restless when they hunt for food. They might stay still for up to a minute. They also join groups of different bird species that are foraging together, often with chinspot batises. In Zambia, they might move out of Cryptosepalum forests during the rainy season, which is from November to April.

Reproduction and Life Cycle

Not much is known about how Margaret's batis reproduces. However, a nest was found in 2010 on Mount Moco in Angola. This nest had two eggs. It was in a small tree, about 1 m (3 ft 3 in) tall, in a thick area of plants. The nest was about 90 cm (35 in) off the ground.

The inside of the nest was lined with very thin strips of grass. The outside was made of fine grass and moss, held together with spider webs. Small pieces of lichen were also attached to the spider webs. The way this nest was built is very similar to the nests of other batises.