Bird Guide

Cape Batis vs Chinspot Batis

Cape Batis (Batis capensis)

Cape Batis

Batis capensis

Tiny12 gForest

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.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: AllyP · CC0
Chinspot Batis (Batis molitor)

Chinspot Batis

Batis molitor

Tiny12 gWoodland

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.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Chinspot Batis
Recorded by Anne Ndung'u · Song · Nairobi, Nairobi County, Kenya · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Sri Srikumar · CC0

Where you might meet both

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Cape Batis and Chinspot Batis.