Chinspot Batis (female)
Audio file
Kruger, South Africa
The chinspot batis is common and widespread in woodlands in southern Africa from the Eastern Cape northwards to southern Kenya and Gabon. It prefers savanna woodland, riverine thickets, bushveldt and scrub, although also found on farmland and in gardens and parks.
Feeding
An arboreal species, the chinspot batis is an insectivore and usually forages in tree canopies by gleaning the foliage or taking iinsects in flight like a flycatcher.
Breeding
The nest on a horizontal tree branch is a small cup built out of plant material and spider webs and adorned with lichen. Both male and female birds constuct the nest but only the female incubates the one to four eggs and the male brings her food. However, both parents raise the chicks.
Wildfile Extras
- In winter and early spring this normally unsociable species often form "parliaments", with gathering of up to ten birds, frequently of the same sex. They will display, flcking their wings noisily in an activity known as "wing-fripping". Sometimes, they actually fight with each other.
- Although a small bird, the chinspot batis will attack intruders such as owls and bush-shrikes.
- Chinspot batises defend large territories of around five hectares (12 acres)
- Unusually, the female chinspot batis is more colourful than the male and her reddish brown chin gives the bird its name.
