Alternative name: Victorin's Scrub Warbler
- Cryptillas victorini
Bradypterus victorini
Identification
Length 15-17 cm
Adult male: Head grey-brown; mantle, back, rump, tail and upper wings dark reddish brown. The chin is pale orange-brown, and the throat, breast and belly are tawny cinnamon; the belly has buffy streaks. Eyes reddish to yellowish.
Adult female: Similar to the male, but duller; underparts with more buffy streaking.
Distribution
Mountains of southern South Africa (southern Cape Province).
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1].
Recent molecular studies indicate that this species, rather than being related to the Bradypterus warblers, is one of a group of African warblers which include the Sylvietta crombecs, Rockrunner Achaetops pycnopygius, Cape Grassbird Sphenoeacus afer, and Yellow Longbill Macrosphenus flavicans (Beresford et al. 2005). Therefore this species was moved from the genus Bradypterus to its own genus Cryptillas.
Habitat
Moist shrubland.
Behaviour
Skulking and inconspicuous, but not shy.
Diet
Forages on the ground under shrubs and grass tussocks for insects and possibly other invertebrates.
Breeding
Monogamous and territorial. The nest is a deep cup built using grass, dead leaves, bark, twigs and plant down. It is well concealed and usually within 30 cm of the ground. Two eggs are laid August to November, and incubated by the female for about 21 days. Both the adults feed the nestling; nestling period is 18-19 days.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2014. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: Version 6.9., with updates to August 2014. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Beresford P, FK Barker, PG Ryan & TM Crowe. 2005. African endemics span the tree of songbirds (Passeri): molecular systematics of several evolutionary ‘enigmas’. Proc. R. Soc. B 272, 849–858.
- Hockey, PAR, WRJ Dean, and PG Ryan, eds. 2005. Roberts' Birds of Southern Africa. 7th ed. Cape Town: John Voelcker Bird Book Fund. ISBN 978-0620340533
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Victorin's Warbler. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 23 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Victorin%27s_Warbler
