Cape Batis
Batis capensis
The Cape Batis (Batis capensis) is a uncommon wattle-eyes and batis found in 7 countries, weighing about 12 g. The Cape batis is a small, stout insect-eating passerine bird in the wattle-eye family.
About the Cape Batis
The Cape batis is a small, stout insect-eating passerine bird in the wattle-eye family. It is endemic to the Afromontane forests of southern Africa.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The Cape batis is strikingly patterned. The adult male has a grey crown, black eye mask and white throat. Its back is brown, with a black rump and tail and rufous wings. The underparts are white with a broad black breast band and rufous flanks. The female and juvenile plumages differ in that the breast band is narrower and rufous, not black, and there is a small rufous patch on the throat. Their rufous wings and flanks distinguish them from other Batis species in the region. The males of the two Malawian subspecies (B. c. dimorpha and B. c.
Where it lives
When to see it
The Cape Batis can be seen all year round, with peak activity in October. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Cape Batis?
- The Cape batis is strikingly patterned. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Cape Batis?
- The Cape Batis is a tiny sized bird weighing about 12 g.
- Where can you see a Cape Batis?
- The Cape Batis occurs in 7 countries, including South Africa, Zimbabwe, Eswatini, Malawi and Mozambique.
- What birds look similar to a Cape Batis?
- The Cape Batis is most easily confused with the Pririt Batis, the Senegal Batis and the Pale Batis.
- Is the Cape Batis endangered?
- The Cape Batis is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Cape Batis for real
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