Black-headed Apalis - BirdForum Opus

Apalis melanocephala

Immature (orange bill). Photo by Steve G
Arabuko-Sokoke Forest, Kenya

Identification

• Dark back
• White underparts
• Long tail
• Orange bill
  

Female is duller than male

Distribution

Africa
Eastern Africa: Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Mozambique, Malawi
Southern Africa: Zimbabwe

Taxonomy

Subspecies^[1]

There are 9 subspecies:

• A. m. melanocephala: Southern Somalia to coastal Kenya and coastal north-eastern Tanzania
• A. m. nigrodorsalis: Highlands of Kenya
• A. m. moschi: Southern Kenya (Taita Hills) and highlands of eastern Tanzania
• A. m. muhuluensis: South-eastern Tanzania (Mahenge and Songea)
• A. m. adjacens: South-eastern Malawi
• A. m. fuliginosa: South-eastern Malawi (Mulanje and Thyolo mountains)
• A. m. lightoni: Western Mozambique to south-eastern Zimbabwe
• A. m. tenebricosa: Northern Mozambique (Njesi Plateau, Mount Chiperoni and Mount Namuli)
• A. m. addenda: Southern Mozambique

Habitat

Damp evergreen forest, dry forests, moist montanes.

Behaviour

A small restless arboreal warbler.
It associates in mixed species feeding flocks.

References

1. Clements, JF. 2009. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2009. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
2. Avibase
3. BF Member observations
4. Wikipedia

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Black-headed Apalis. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 6 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Black-headed_Apalis

External Links

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