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Chestnut-vented Warbler - BirdForum Opus

Revision as of 17:30, 21 September 2022 by Sbarnhardt (talk | contribs) (Edit sci name to reflect new one on top and old one italicized below, Edit Category to reflect new one)
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Photo by safariranger
Etosha National Park, Namibia, December 2006

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

Curruca subcoerulea

Sylvia subcaerulea
Sylvia subcoerulea
Curruca subcoerulea
Parisoma subcaeruleum

Identification

13·5 cm (5¼ in)

  • Greyish-brown upperparts
  • Black tail has broad white outer tail feathers
  • Grey throat with dark streaking
  • Grey breast and belly
  • Bright chestnut vent
  • Grey eyes
  • White eye ring
  • Black legs


The sexes are similar; juvenile has an unstreaked throat.

Distribution

Africa:
Western Africa: found in Angola
Eastern Africa: Zambia
Southern Africa: Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, South Africa (except wetter eastern and north-eastern parts), KwaZulu-Natal and eSwatini

Taxonomy

Subspecies

Sylvia subcaerulea has four subspecies:[1][2]

  • S. s. ansorgei
  • S. s. cinerascens
  • S. s. subcoerulea
  • S. s. orpheana

Formerly placed in the genus Parisoma.

Habitat

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

Behaviour

Diet

Their diet consists of insects and small invertebrates such as caterpillars, mantids and spiders. They also eat some fruits and seeds.

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, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2018. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2018. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
  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
  3. Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved April 2019)

Recommended Citation

External Links


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