The bar-throated apalis (''Apalis thoracica'') is a small African passerine bird belonging to the genus '' Apalis'' of the family Cisticolidae. It is native to the eastern and southern

Afrotropics The Afrotropical realm is one of Earth's eight biogeographic realms. It includes Africa south of the Sahara Desert, the majority of the Arabian Peninsula, the island of Madagascar, southern Iran and extreme southwestern Pakistan, and the island ...

Range and habitat

It inhabits forest and scrub in

Southern Southern may refer to: Businesses * China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China * Southern Airways, defunct US airline * Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US * Southern Airways Express, M ...

and

East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territories make up Eastern Africa: Due to the historical ...

from southern and eastern parts of South Africa north as far as the

Chyulu Hills The Chyulu Hills is a mountain range in Makueni County in southeastern Kenya. It forms a 100-kilometre-long volcanic field in an elongated northeast–southwest direction. Its highest peak is 2,188 metres high. The Leviathan Cave (also ...

in Kenya. In the northern part of is range it is found only in highland areas where there are a number of

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

restricted to isolated mountain ranges. Some of these may be treated as separate species including the

Namuli apalis The Namuli apalis (''Apalis lynesi'') is a small African passerine bird belonging to the genus ''Apalis'' in the family Cisticolidae. It was formerly considered as a subspecies of the bar-throated apalis. It is the only bird species endemic to Mo ...

(''A. lynesi'') in Mozambique,

yellow-throated apalis The yellow-throated apalis (''Apalis flavigularis'') is a passerine bird in the family Cisticolidae. It is endemic to Malawi. It was sometimes considered it to be a subspecies of the bar-throated apalis. Its natural habitats are subtropical or ...

(''A. flavigularis'') of Malawi and

Taita apalis The Taita apalis (''Apalis fuscigularis'') is a bird in the family Cisticolidae that is endemic to the Taita Hills in Kenya. It was formerly considered to be a subspecies of the bar-throated apalis. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical ...

(''A. fascigularis'') in Kenya.

Description

The bar-throated apalis is a slender bird with a long tail and is 11 to 13 cm in length. The

plumage Plumage ( "feather") is a layer of feathers that covers a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage differ between species and subspecies and may vary with age classes. Within species, ...

varies depending on the subspecies: the upper parts can be grey or green while the underparts are white or pale yellow. All forms have a narrow black band across the breast, white outer tail-feathers and a pale eye. The black bill is fairly long and slender and is slightly curved. Females are similar to males but have a narrower breast band. Juveniles have buffer underparts and may have an incomplete breast band.

Behaviour

Pairs sing a duetting song with the female's call being higher-pitched than that of the male. The oval, purse-shaped nest is made mainly of plant material. Three eggs are laid, these are bluish-white with reddish-brown spots. The

breeding season Seasonal breeders are animal species that successfully mate only during certain times of the year. These times of year allow for the optimization of survival of young due to factors such as ambient temperature, food and water availability, and cha ...

lasts from August to January. This species forages for

caterpillar Caterpillars ( ) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths). As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder Sym ...

s and other insects amongst vegetation, often forming mixed-species flocks with other birds.

References

* SASOL Bird e-Guide
Bar-throated Apalis
Downloaded 27/03/07. * Ian Sinclair & Peter Ryan (2003) ''Birds of Africa south of the Sahara'', Struik, Cape Town.

External links

* Bar-throated apalis
Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2858123

bar-throated apalis The bar-throated apalis (''Apalis thoracica'') is a small African passerine bird belonging to the genus ''Apalis'' of the family Cisticolidae. It is native to the eastern and southern Afrotropics. Range and habitat It inhabits forest and scrub ...

Birds of Sub-Saharan Africa