Gabon batis: Difference between revisions
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Quetzal1964 (talk | contribs) Destubbed (i.e. expanded) as part of The Africa Destubathon. |
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| status = NT |
| status = NT |
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| status_system = IUCN3.1 |
| status_system = IUCN3.1 |
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| status_ref = <ref name = IUCN/> |
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| status_ref = <ref>{{IUCN|id=22707901 |title=''Batis minima'' |assessors=[[BirdLife International]] |version=2013.2 |year=2012 |accessdate=26 November 2013}}</ref> |
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| regnum = [[Animalia]] |
| regnum = [[Animalia]] |
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| phylum = [[Chordata]] |
| phylum = [[Chordata]] |
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| species = '''''B. minima''''' |
| species = '''''B. minima''''' |
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| binomial = ''Batis minima'' |
| binomial = ''Batis minima'' |
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| binomial_authority = ([[Jules Verreaux|Verreaux]] & [[Edouard Verreaux|Verreaux]], 1855) |
| binomial_authority = ([[Jules Verreaux|J. Verreaux]] & [[Edouard Verreaux|E. Verreaux]], 1855)<ref name = ITIS>{{cite web | url = https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=558886#null | title = ''Batis minima'' (J. Verreaux & E. Verreaux, 1855) | accessdate = 2016-11-04 | publisher = Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) (http://www.itis.gov)}}</ref> |
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synonyms = |
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The '''Gabon batis''' or '''Verreaux's batis''' (''Batis minima'') is a species of [[bird]] in the [[Platysteiridae]] family. It |
The '''Gabon batis''' or '''Verreaux's batis''' (''Batis minima'') is a species of small [[bird]] in the [[Platysteiridae]] family. It occurs in the humid forests of western Central Africa. |
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==Description== |
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| ⚫ | The common name and Latin binomial commemorates the French naturalist [[Jules Verreaux]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Beolens|first=Bo|title=Whose Bird? Men and Women Commemorated in the Common Names of Birds|year=2003|publisher=Christopher Helm|location=London|pages=350–351|author2=Watkins, Michael}}</ref> |
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The adult male has a velvety black head with a white loral spot and narrow supercilium, the head colour fades to blackish-grey on the hindcrown and is separated from the back by a white collar. The mantle and back are velvety-black with a mottled rump which has long, fluffy feathers. The wings are very black with a contrasting white wingstripe. The tail is black with white outer tail feathers. The underparts are white except for a glossy black breast band. The bill and legs are black and the eyes are golden yellow. The females is similar to the male but has a smaller loral spot and supercilium and has a narrower dark grey breast band.<ref name = Shrikes>{{cite book | last1 = Harris | first1 = Tony | last2 = Franklin | first2 = Kim | year = 2000 | title = Shrikes and Bush-shrikes | publisher = Christopher Helm | pages = 319-320 | ISBN = 0-7136-3861-3}}</ref> They are small birds measuring 9–10cm in length and weighing 8–12g.<ref name = HBW>{{cite web | url = http://www.hbw.com/species/verreauxs-batis-batis-minima | title = Verreaux's Batis (''Batis minima'') | accessdate = 2016-11-04 | publisher = Lynx Edicions|work = Handbook of the Birds of the World}}</ref> |
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===Voice=== |
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The song is a series of high, evenly pitched thin short notes "pee-pee-pee-pee" which resembles a squeaky bicycle pump.<ref name = Shrikes/> |
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==Distribution and habitat== |
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This species is very similar to the [[West African batis]] ''Batis occulta'' and this somewhat masks its true distribution but the Gabon batis has been found in [[Gabon]], the [[Monte Alen National Park]] in [[Equatorial Guinea]], the lowland [[Dja]] area in southern [[Cameroon]] and it has recently been discovered in the [[Dzangha-Ndoki National Park]] in the extreme south of the [[Central African Republic]].<ref name = IUCN>{{cite web | url = www.birdlife.org/datazone/species/factsheet/22707901 | title = Gabon Batis (Batis minima) - BirdLife species factsheet | accessdate = 2016-11-04 | publisher = [[International Union for Conservation of Nature|International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources]]|work = The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species}}</ref> |
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The Gabon batis is found in lowland forest, normally lower than 800m. It avoids primary rainforest, other than at the forest edge, and prefers secondary forest with a dense but broken canopy and thick, low undergrowth, as well as overgrown [[cacao]] and [[coffee]] [[plantation]]s. It avoids cultivated land and the vicinity of villages and other man-made habitats.<ref name = Shrikes/> |
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==Habits== |
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The habits of the Gabon batis are similar to those of other [[Batis (bird}|batises]] and it is territorial and usually seen either singly, in pairs or in small family groups. It is a restless but unobtrusive bird and patrols the whole of its 18-20 ha [[Territory (animal)|territory]] each day, the male taking the lead and singing his song, especially in the morning and late afternoon. This species and the West African batis regularly have hostile interactions which the Gabon batis reacts to by raising its crown feathers and flicking its wings and tail while moving from sided to side. In the hottest part of the day the Gabon batis has been known to sunbathe.<ref name = Shrikes/> |
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The Gabon batis is an arboreal forager, preferring to find food above heights of 5m from the ground. It is attracted by flowering trees and prefers to forage in small leafed trees. Prey is gleaned from leaves by hovering beside the tree, or in flight or is disturbed by the moving bird and swooped on. The favoured prey is various insects between 5mm and 15mm in length.<ref name = Shrikes/> |
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The breeding biology of the Gabon batis is little known but young have been observed during the rainy season following the short dry season, September and February in Gabon, and the young stay with their parents for an extended period. Solitary, probably dispersing immatures were seen in the long dry season in July and August.<ref name = Shrikes/> |
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==Conservation status== |
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The Gabon batis is suspected to be experiencing a reduction in range and population as a result of forest clearance and degradation, however the rate of the suspected decline has not been estimated.<ref name = IUCN/> |
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==Name== |
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| ⚫ | The alternative common name and Latin binomial commemorates the French naturalist [[Jules Verreaux]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Beolens|first=Bo|title=Whose Bird? Men and Women Commemorated in the Common Names of Birds|year=2003|publisher=Christopher Helm|location=London|pages=350–351|author2=Watkins, Michael}}</ref> |
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==References== |
==References== |
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[[Category:Birds of Central Africa]] |
[[Category:Birds of Central Africa]] |
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[[Category:Animals described in 1855]] |
[[Category:Animals described in 1855]] |
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{{Platysteiridae-stub}} |
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Revision as of 18:15, 4 November 2016
| Gabon batis | |
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| Scientific classification | |
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| Species: | B. minima
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| Binomial name | |
| Batis minima | |
The Gabon batis or Verreaux's batis (Batis minima) is a species of small bird in the Platysteiridae family. It occurs in the humid forests of western Central Africa.
Description
The adult male has a velvety black head with a white loral spot and narrow supercilium, the head colour fades to blackish-grey on the hindcrown and is separated from the back by a white collar. The mantle and back are velvety-black with a mottled rump which has long, fluffy feathers. The wings are very black with a contrasting white wingstripe. The tail is black with white outer tail feathers. The underparts are white except for a glossy black breast band. The bill and legs are black and the eyes are golden yellow. The females is similar to the male but has a smaller loral spot and supercilium and has a narrower dark grey breast band.[3] They are small birds measuring 9–10cm in length and weighing 8–12g.[4]
Voice
The song is a series of high, evenly pitched thin short notes "pee-pee-pee-pee" which resembles a squeaky bicycle pump.[3]
Distribution and habitat
This species is very similar to the West African batis Batis occulta and this somewhat masks its true distribution but the Gabon batis has been found in Gabon, the Monte Alen National Park in Equatorial Guinea, the lowland Dja area in southern Cameroon and it has recently been discovered in the Dzangha-Ndoki National Park in the extreme south of the Central African Republic.[1]
The Gabon batis is found in lowland forest, normally lower than 800m. It avoids primary rainforest, other than at the forest edge, and prefers secondary forest with a dense but broken canopy and thick, low undergrowth, as well as overgrown cacao and coffee plantations. It avoids cultivated land and the vicinity of villages and other man-made habitats.[3]
Habits
The habits of the Gabon batis are similar to those of other [[Batis (bird}|batises]] and it is territorial and usually seen either singly, in pairs or in small family groups. It is a restless but unobtrusive bird and patrols the whole of its 18-20 ha territory each day, the male taking the lead and singing his song, especially in the morning and late afternoon. This species and the West African batis regularly have hostile interactions which the Gabon batis reacts to by raising its crown feathers and flicking its wings and tail while moving from sided to side. In the hottest part of the day the Gabon batis has been known to sunbathe.[3]
The Gabon batis is an arboreal forager, preferring to find food above heights of 5m from the ground. It is attracted by flowering trees and prefers to forage in small leafed trees. Prey is gleaned from leaves by hovering beside the tree, or in flight or is disturbed by the moving bird and swooped on. The favoured prey is various insects between 5mm and 15mm in length.[3]
The breeding biology of the Gabon batis is little known but young have been observed during the rainy season following the short dry season, September and February in Gabon, and the young stay with their parents for an extended period. Solitary, probably dispersing immatures were seen in the long dry season in July and August.[3]
Conservation status
The Gabon batis is suspected to be experiencing a reduction in range and population as a result of forest clearance and degradation, however the rate of the suspected decline has not been estimated.[1]
Name
The alternative common name and Latin binomial commemorates the French naturalist Jules Verreaux.[5]
References
- ^ a b c [www.birdlife.org/datazone/species/factsheet/22707901 "Gabon Batis (Batis minima) - BirdLife species factsheet"]. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. Retrieved 2016-11-04.
{{cite web}}: Check|url=value (help) - ^ "Batis minima (J. Verreaux & E. Verreaux, 1855)". Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) (http://www.itis.gov). Retrieved 2016-11-04.
{{cite web}}: no-break space character in|title=at position 17 (help) - ^ a b c d e f Harris, Tony; Franklin, Kim (2000). Shrikes and Bush-shrikes. Christopher Helm. pp. 319–320. ISBN 0-7136-3861-3.
- ^ "Verreaux's Batis (Batis minima)". Handbook of the Birds of the World. Lynx Edicions. Retrieved 2016-11-04.
- ^ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael (2003). Whose Bird? Men and Women Commemorated in the Common Names of Birds. London: Christopher Helm. pp. 350–351.