Barratt's warbler

Barratt's warbler

African scrub warbler

Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Family
Genus
SPECIES
Bradypterus barratti

The Barratt's warbler or African scrub warbler (Bradypterus barratti ), is a species of Old World warbler in the family Locustellidae. It is found in eastern South Africa, Lesotho, eastern Zimbabwe and adjacent western Mozambique. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.

Appearance

15 cm in size and their average weight is 15g. Males and females are alike. Adults: The underparts of these birds are chocolate brown their crown to tail, rump and tail are washed rufous. They have dark brown lores, cheeks and ears coverts and their supercilium is greyish buff. Their upper wings coverts rufous-brown and marginal part of the upper wing is buffy. Primaries are rufous-brown with cinnamon-brown outer webs. Secondaries rufous-brown with cinnamon brown. Their axillaries and underwings are ashy btown. Thoat and chin are buffy white, with their throat streaked dark brown. At the centre of their breast and belly is white, streaked with grey. They have brownish olive undertail, thighs and flanks. Their eyes are hazel-brown or pale to dark brown. They have black bills and their legs and feet are dark brown. Measurements: B. b. barratti wing 60–68 cm; tail 60–69 cm; tarsus 18–21 cm; culmen 11–13 cm.Juveniles: There is a lack of knowledge known about juvenile characteristics. Juveniles have shorter tails, upper parts are more olive than adults and their supercilium and underparts are yellow. Confused species: The Barratts Warbler is very similar and confused with Knysna Warbler since their distributions overlap but they have shorter tails and less streaked below. Their songs are also similar but the opening of the Knysna Warbler is longer, louder and discrete.

Distribution

Geography

Continents
Biogeographical realms

Dense tangled acrub, bracken (Pteridium sp), brambles (Smilax spp and alien Rubus spp) and heath (Erica spp) along streams, in clearings and in edges of forest and plantations.

Biome

Habits and Lifestyle

The males sing near the nest during the breeding period. Usually solitary or in pairs. Remains on or near the ground, climbs agilely among vegetation.

Lifestyle
Seasonal behavior
Bird's call

Diet and Nutrition

Little is known. Forages in or close to ground, running mouse-like. Eat insects, including crickets.

Mating Habits

They are monogamous, solitary nesting and territorial animals. Nest: Are made up of plant debris, twigs, grass and leaves placed on the ground or low down, between branches. Nest diam is 129 mm; cup diam 52 mm, depth 55mm. Laying dates: Zimbabwe: October (2), November (3), December (2); KwaZulu-Natal: September and November; Eastern Cape: November (1). Eggs: The clutch is two eggs. The eggs are oval, pinkish-white, with dashes of brown and greys. Incubation period is unknown. Development and care of hatchlings and juveniles: Newly hatch young has not description. Nestlings fed by both adults.

References

1. Barratt's warbler Wikipedia article - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barratt's_warbler
2. Barratt's warbler on The IUCN Red List site - https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22714497/94418726
3. Xeno-canto bird call - https://xeno-canto.org/522623

More Fascinating Animals to Learn About