- Schoenicola brevirostris
Broad-tailed Warbler
Description
Length 15 cm; 15 g. Tail broad and wings short and rounded. Head greyish brown, back rusty brown grading to blackish brown upper tail coverts. Tail very dark brown, retrices tipped buff. Wings dark brown above.
Distribution
Africa south of the Sahara.
Taxonomy
Considered by some to be conspecific with Broad-tailed Grassbird Schoenicola platyura of Asia. Schoenicola brevirostris has 2 subspecies: S. b. brevirostris, South Africa north to Malawi; S. b. alexinae, central and eastern Africa. Isolated populations in Sierra Leone and Cameroon.
Habitat
Tall grassland.
Behaviour
Generally occurs singly or in pairs. Usually concealed low down in dense grass, but sometimes perches prominently, especially on rainy or misty mornings. Song is distinctive; a slow, metallic zink, zink, zink. Feeds on invertibrates.
