- Dryoscopus gambensis
Identification
18–19 cm (7-7½ in)
- Loose feathers on the lower back and rump which it puffs out
- Dull white underparts
- Grey rump and scapulars
- Orange-red eyes
Similar species
- Pringle's Puffback is smaller and has a pale lower mandible.
- The rump and scapulars of the Black-backed Puffback are white rather than grey.
Distribution
Sub-Saharan Africa between 15°N and 7°S: From Senegal in the west to Ethiopia, Eritrea and Kenya in the east and Democratic Republic of Congo in the south.
Taxonomy
Subspecies
There are four subspecies[1]:
- D. g. gambensis:
- D. g. congicus:
- South-western Congo and western Democratic Republic of the Congo
- D. g. malzacii:
- Eastern Cameroon to Central African Republic, southern Uganda, western Kenya, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo
- D. g. erythreae:
Habitat
Dense savanna woodland, mangroves, bamboo groves and thickets.
Behaviour
Their diet consists mostly of insects, such as caterpillars, grasshoppers and beetles; in addition to plant buds.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2015. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2015, with updates to August 2015. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved January 2016)
- TheWebsiteofEverything
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Northern Puffback. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 2 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Northern_Puffback
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1
