Chestnut-vented Warbler

Photo by safariranger
Etosha National Park, Namibia, December 2006

Alternative Names: Chestnut-vented Tit-babbler, Rufous-vented Warbler

Parisoma subcaeruleum

Sylvia subcaeruleum, Sylvia subcaerulea

Identification

14-15 cm. Grey brown upperparts, black tail with a broad white band at its tip, white eye ring, grey throat is with heavy dark streaking, grey breast and belly, and the vent area is bright chestnut. Black legs and grey eyes. The sexes are similar, but the juvenile has an unstreaked throat.

Distribution

Angola, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Namibia, South Africa, Lesotho, Mozambique and Swaziland. Southern Africa (except wetter e and ne parts) to Angola.

Taxonomy

Parisoma subcaeruleum has four subspecies:^[1][2]

• P. s. ansorgei

• Coastal south-western Angola

• P. s. cinerascens

• Namibia and Botswana

• P. s. subcaeruleum

• Western, southern and central South Africa

• P. s. orpheanum

• Zimbabwe to eastern South Africa and Lesotho

Habitat

Thornveld, riverine bush and scrub, semi-arid scrub, bushy hillsides, thickets in savanna.

Behaviour

Its diet includes insects and small invertebrates. Breeding: Season: August to December in sw Cape, August to March (mainly October-December) in Transvaal, October to January in KwaZulu-Natal, September to March (mainly September-November) in Zimbabwe, December to April in sw Kalahari (where probably partly opportunistic after rain). Nest: Thin-walled cup of dry grass, rootlets and spider web, lined with fine plant fibres and down.

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. 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

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Chestnut-vented Warbler. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 5 May 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Chestnut-vented_Warbler

External Links

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