Fun Cape Batis Facts For Kids
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The Cape batis (Batis capensis) is from Passeriformes order, family Platysteiridae or the family of wattle eyes and genus Batis. The Cape batis range and distribution is in South Africa, Matobos, Swaziland, Malawi mountains, eastern highlands of Mozambique, and Zimbabwe, and also mountains of Mozambique and Zimbabwe.
The types of habitat that these species inhabit include mountain forests like coastal and moist evergreen ones and wooded gorges. It can also be spotted in gardens and scrubs types of habitat.
Mating or breeding occurs from September to December.
The nests are small and are shaped like a cup and are built using dry grasses and spider webs found in the forest. Around one to three eggs are laid and the incubation is 17-21 days long.
There are certain differences in the appearance of the adult male and female, whereas, juveniles resemble the female.
Males of the Cape batis have a gray-colored crown, a black-colored eye mask, and a white throat and the underparts are white and have a breast band that is broad and black, whereas, females and the young ones do not have a broad breast band and instead have a narrow one and it is not rufous.
Females have a throat patch that is rufous and small.
The wings and tails are short and the eyes are orange in color.
The diet is carnivorous and the food of this bird consists of small insects and spiders and is known to prey on them just like other flycatchers.
Six subspecies of this bird have been recognized and the distribution of these subspecies is done in close range like the eastern highlands of Mozambique and Zimbabwe, and southern Lebombos.
This bird has different names in different languages like Pririt du Cap in French and Kapschnapper in German. Taxonomy states that the scientific name 'capensis' signifies Cape of Good Hope as the first specimen of this bird was collected from Cape of Good Hope and was initially named Muscicapa capensis.
It is quite fascinating to know and learn about the Cape batis or Batis capensis and if you are interested, read about belted kingfisher and green-winged teal, too.
Cape Batis Interesting Facts
What type of animal is a Cape batis?
The Cape batis is a bird species from the wattle eye family.
What class of animal does a Cape batis belong to?
It is from the class of Aves of birds.
How many Cape batis birds are there in the world?
There is no number available for the global population of this bird.
Where does a Cape batis live?
The population of the previously known Old World flycatcher, Cape batis, is distributed across South Africa, Matobos, Swaziland, Malawi mountains, eastern highlands of Mozambique, and Zimbabwe, and also mountains of Mozambique and Zimbabwe.
What is a Cape batis' habitat?
These previous Old World flycatcher birds inhabit gorges that are wooded and mountain forests like the coastal and moist evergreen forests types of habitat. These birds can also be spotted in planted gardens and scrubs.
Who do Cape batis birds live with?
Not much is known about these birds, Cape batis, being solitary or living in groups.
How long does a Cape batis live?
The life of this wattle eye bird is unknown.
How do they reproduce?
The mating of this species takes place from September and goes on to December and builds a small nest that is cup-shaped. This nest is built using dry grasses and spider webs found in the forest. The nest is placed in the branch fork in a thick or dense brush in the wooded forest.
The nest contains one to three eggs. The incubation is done by females for about 17-21 days. It is believed that the pairs formed for mating stay together lifelong.
What is their conservation status?
These birds are placed under the Least Concern category of the conservation status.
Cape Batis Fun Facts
What do Cape batis birds look like?
These birds are known to be patterned. Adult males of the Cape batis have a gray-colored crown, a black-colored eye mask, and a white throat.
The back part is brown in color and the rump, rufous wings, and tail are black. They have white underparts and a breast band which is broad and black in color and also rufous flanks.
Adult females and juveniles or young ones are a bit different as the breast band in females and juveniles is not that broad and is rufous and is not black. Unlike males, there is a rufous and a small patch on the throats of females and juveniles.
Males of the subspecies of Malawian are distinct as the olive or rufous plumage or flanks are absent. These birds have short tails, wings that are round, and have orange eyes.
How cute are they?
This bird or species, Cape batis, is considered cute because of its size.
How do they communicate?
These birds communicate through different types of sounds and calls, just like other birds.
How big is a Cape batis?
The length of this Cape batis is around 4.7-6 in (12-15 cm) and is similarly sized to or slightly smaller than a fox sparrow and a lark sparrow.
How fast can a Cape batis fly?
The flying speed of the Cape batis is not known.
How much does a Cape batis weigh?
The Cape batis weighs around 0.5 oz (13 g).
What are the male and female names of the species?
Males and females of this bird species of a flycatcher do not have any particular names assigned.
What would you call a baby Cape batis?
Baby birds in general, are referred to as chicks or young ones and there exists no specific name for the baby of the Cape batis.
What do they eat?
This Old World flycatcher, Cape batis' food consists of spiders and small insects from the barks and leaves of trees as its diet is carnivorous. This bird is known to pluck the prey when hovering and it doesn't need to land in order to prey.
Are they friendly?
Not much is known about Cape batis being friendly or not.
Would they make a good pet?
Not much is available or known about these Cape batis as pets.
Did you know...
The taxonomy of this bird states that the description of the Cape batis was incorporated in the Ornithologie by a French Zoologist, Mathurin Jacques Brisson in 1760, and this description is believed to be based on a specimen that was collected from the Cape of Good Hope.
It was initially named Muscicapa capensis.
The genus in which this bird is placed, Batis, was introduced by Friedrich Boie, a German Zoologist in 1833.
Six subspecies of this bird are recognized that include Batis capensis sola, B. c. dimorpha, B. c. Kennedyi, B. c. erythrophthalma, B. c. hollidayi, B. c. capensis distributed throughout the southern Africa range like southern and central Malawi and southern Lebombos.
The song of this species is described as a triple whistle 'foo-foo-foo' and 'cherra-warra-warra'.
Hunting of prey includes flycatching and taking it from the ground in a similar manner to a shrike.
This species has been recorded to be parasitized by the species Klaas's cuckoo.
Other names of this bird include Malawi batis, puff back flycatcher and in french it is referred to as Pririt du Cap and in Spanish it is known as Batis de El Cabo.
It is considered to be a small bird of Passerine in the wattle eyes family.
The Batis capensis is generally considered to be a resident bird, but some movement or wandering have been recorded.
Are they aggressive?
Yes, the Cape batis is aggressive during the breeding season when defending their territories from humans, predators, and intruders.
Why is it called Cape batis?
It is believed that the word 'capensis' represents or signifies the Cape of Good Hope.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these rufous hummingbird facts and pine warbler facts pages.
You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Cape batis coloring pages.
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