Chinspot Batis
Batis molitor
The Chinspot Batis (Batis molitor) is a uncommon wattle-eyes and batis found in 17 countries, weighing about 12 g. The chinspot batis is a small songbird of the genus Batis in the family Platysteiridae which is a common and widespread species in the woodlands of southern Africa from the Eastern Cape north to 3°N in southern Kenya and Gabon.
About the Chinspot Batis
The chinspot batis is a small songbird of the genus Batis in the family Platysteiridae which is a common and widespread species in the woodlands of southern Africa from the Eastern Cape north to 3°N in southern Kenya and Gabon. It forms a superspecies with other rather similar members of the genus Batis.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The chinspot batis is a rather stout bird 12–13 cm (4.7–5.1 in) in length. It has a black mask on its face, with a short white eyestripe, a grey cap and a white throat. The upperparts are grey with a prominent white wing stripe. The eyes are yellow while the legs and bill are black. The underparts are white with a black breast band in the males, the female has a chestnut breast band and a chestnut spot on the throat. Young birds are similar to females but the breast band and spot on the throat are tawny.
What the Chinspot Batis sounds like
Where it lives
When to see it
The Chinspot 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 Chinspot Batis?
- The chinspot batis is a rather stout bird 12–13 cm (4.7–5.1 in) in length. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Chinspot Batis?
- The Chinspot Batis is a tiny sized bird weighing about 12 g.
- Where can you see a Chinspot Batis?
- The Chinspot Batis occurs in 17 countries, including South Africa, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Tanzania.
- What does a Chinspot Batis sound like?
- You can listen to a field recording of the Chinspot Batis on this page, contributed to xeno-canto under open licences.
- What birds look similar to a Chinspot Batis?
- The Chinspot Batis is most easily confused with the Cape Batis, the Pririt Batis and the Senegal Batis.
- Is the Chinspot Batis endangered?
- The Chinspot Batis is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Chinspot Batis for real
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