Batis (bird)

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For other uses, see Batis (disambiguation).

Batis

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Platysteiridae
Genus:	Batis Boie, 1833

species

See text

Batis is a genus of passerine birds in the wattle-eye family. Its species are resident in Africa south of the Sahara. They were previously classed as a subfamily of the Old World flycatcher family, Muscicapidae.

They are small stout insect-eating birds, usually found in open forests or bush. The nest is a small neat cup low in a tree or bush. They hunt by flycatching, or by taking prey from the ground like a shrike.

Batis species are strikingly patterned, typically with a grey crown, black eye mask, dark back, and paler underparts, often with a coloured or black breast band and white on the throat which contrasts strongly with the black eye stripe. Male and female plumages usually differ.

The song is typically a descending triple whistle.

[edit] Species in taxonomic order

Boulton's Batis, Batis margaritae
Short-tailed Batis, Batis mixta
- Reichenow's Batis, Batis (mixta) reichenowi
Dark Batis, Batis crypta
Ruwenzori Batis, Batis diops
Cape Batis, Batis capensis
Woodward's Batis, Batis fratrum
Chinspot Batis, Batis molitor
Pale Batis, Batis soror
Pririt Batis, Batis pririt
Senegal Batis, Batis senegalensis
Grey-headed Batis, Batis orientalis
Black-headed Batis, Batis minor
Pygmy Batis, Batis perkeo
Verreaux's Batis, Batis minima
Ituri Batis, Batis ituriensis
Fernando Po Batis, Batis poensis
West African Batis, Batis occulta
Angola Batis, Batis minulla