Batis (pronounced BAT-iss) 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.
Taxonomy The genus Batis was introduced by the German zoologist Friedrich Boie in 1833. The type species was subsequently designated as the Cape batis. The name of the genus is from the Ancient Greek batis, batidos, an unidentified worm-eating bird mentioned by Aristotle.
The genus contains 20 species. Image Scientific name Common name Distribution Batis diops Rwenzori batis Albertine Rift montane forests Batis margaritae Margaret's batis mount Moco (Angola),southern DR Congo and northern Zambia Batis mixta Forest batis eastern Tanzania and southeastern Kenya Batis crypta Dark batis Eastern Arc Mountains of Tanzania and northern Malawi Batis dimorpha Malawi batis Malawi and adjacent areas Batis capensis Cape batis southern Afromontane Batis fratrum Woodwards' batis Mozambique Batis molitor Chinspot batis centre/southern sub-Saharan Africa Batis senegalensis Senegal batis West Africa Batis orientalis Grey-headed batis northeastern sub-Saharan Africa Batis soror Pale batis sout-eastern Kenya to southern Mozambique Batis pririt Pririt batis southern Africa Batis minor Eastern black-headed batis central-northern sub-Saharan Africa Batis erlangeri Western black-headed batis east Africa Batis perkeo Pygmy batis mainly Horn of Africa Batis minulla Angola batis western Central Africa Batis minima Gabon batis western Congolian rainforests Batis ituriensis Ituri batis northeastern Congo Basin Batis occulta West African batis Guineo-congolean region Batis poensis Fernando Po batis Bioko
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