Bioko Batis
Batis poensis
The only batis on Bioko. Patterned like a typical batis, with a white belly and throat, black wings with a white bar, and a black face. Males have a black crown, a black back, and a black chest band, whereas females have a gray crown, a gray back, and a rusty chest band. Both sexes have limited white above the eye that can appear like a broken eyeline. Infrequently encountered but widespread from lowland forest to mid-montane forest, where it can be seen in forest and disturbed forest, including plantations. Songs include a series of high-pitched whistled notes, and a few harsh notes followed by a fast trill that descends slightly in pitch.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Batis poensis
- Authority
- Alexander, 1903
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Platysteiridae
- Genus
- Batis
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds
Black-banded Flycatcher
Ficedula timorensis
A distinctive small flycatcher with a dark head, a bright rufous saddle, and a white underside with a clean-cut black breast band. Female duller, with a dark gray rather than black head, and a thinner but still well-defined chest band. A shy inhabitant of dense understory in forest in the lowlands and foothills, found singly or in pairs. Restricted to Timor. Contact calls include a soft, grating “grrr-grrr-grrr.” Song is a very high-pitched set of five or so whistles, “sweee-sweee-swit-itit,” starting with long notes and ending with abrupt, short lower-pitched notes.
Choco Warbler
Myiothlypis chlorophrys
Small warbler found in cloud forest in western Colombia and northwestern Ecuador. Field marks include bright yellow underparts a well as dark stripes through face and on sides of crown. Orange central crown stripe may not be evident in the field. Similar to Three-striped Warbler, but yellower, has thinner crown stripes, and lacks crescent below eye. Pairs or small groups forage actively in lower to middle levels in the forest, often with mixed species flocks. Song is a rising and accelerating buzzy trill. Formerly called Golden-bellied Warbler.
Pale Chanting-Goshawk
Melierax canorus
A tall, long-tailed, pewter-gray hawk with pink-orange legs and bill base. In flight the wing pattern is strongly contrasting, with pale inner hind wings and a dark tip. Pairs inhabit thornveld, steppe, and desert below 2000 m. Chanting-goshawks give a strong gull-like “kleeeu” call, hence their name. Dark Chanting-Goshawk prefers moister woodland, has darker flight feathers creating a uniformly colored wing, and always has a gray-barred rump; Pale Chanting-Goshawk is paler, with pale panels in the wings and an unbarred white rump.
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