Black-necked Wattle-eye
Platysteira chalybea
A distinctive wattle-eye with iridescent blue-black upperparts and throat, off-white underparts, and bright green eye wattles. Unlike many other wattle-eyes, sexes are similar, with the female looking like a male with dull plumage. Similar to Red-cheeked Wattle-eye, with which it overlaps locally in western Cameroon. Where overlap occurs, Black-necked Wattle-eye is found at higher elevations and shows more off-white underparts, brighter green eye wattles, and a uniformly iridescent black head and throat. Song varies, but is often a distinctive phrase of two high rising whistles and then two lower ones, “sweeswee-huuhuu.”
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Platysteira chalybea
- Authority
- (Reichenow, 1897)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Platysteiridae
- Genus
- Platysteira
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
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