| Cape grassbird | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Macrosphenidae |
| Genus: | Sphenoeacus Strickland, 1841 |
| Species: | S. afer |
| Binomial name | |
| Sphenoeacus afer (Gmelin, JF, 1789) | |
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TheCape grassbird orCape grass warbler (Sphenoeacus afer) is anAfrican warbler found in southern Africa. It is the only species placed in thegenusSphenoeacus.
The Cape grassbird wasformally described in 1789 by the German naturalistJohann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition ofCarl Linnaeus'sSystema Naturae. He placed it with the flycatchers in thegenusMuscicapa and coined thebinomial nameMuscicapa afra.[2] Gmelin based his description on the "spotted yellow flycatcher" from theCape of Good Hope that had been described in 1783 by the English ornithologistJohn Latham in his bookA General Synopsis of Birds.[3] The Cape grassbird is now the only species placed in the genusSphenoeacus that was introduced in 1841 by the English naturalistHugh Strickland.[4][5] The genus name combines theAncient Greeksphēn meaning "wedge" withoiax meaning "helm". The specific epithetafer isLatin meaning "African".[6]
Foursubspecies are recognised:[5]
The Cape grassbird was formerly placed in the familySylviidae.[7][8] Within the family Macrosphenidae themoustached grass warbler (Melocichla mentalis) and the Cape grassbird aresister species.[9]
The Cape grassbird is 19 to 23 cm (7.5 to 9.1 in) long and weighs 27–34 g (0.95–1.20 oz). Its crown and face sides are rufous, except for white around the eye, and it has black malar and moustachial stripes on its white throat. The upperparts are brown with heavy streaking and the long tail is a lighter brown while the underparts are whitish with blackish spotting. The sexes are similar, but the juvenile has a streaked cap and is duller than the adult. The song is jangling and musical, and the call is a nasalpheeeo.[8]
The long, pointed, straggly tail, chestnut cap and facial stripes are diagnostic of Cape grassbird. It is much larger than anycisticola, and the heavily streaked back and the pointed tail eliminate confusion withmoustached grass warbler.
The Cape grassbird breeds in southern Africa inSouth Africa,Lesotho,Mozambique andSwaziland with an isolated population in easternZimbabwe. It is a common species of coastal and mountainfynbos and long, rank grass on mountain slopes or in river valleys.
The Cape grassbird builds a cup nest low in vegetation. This species is monogamous, pairing for life. Its eggs have one of the slowest rates of embryonic development amongst Southern African species.[10]
The Cape grassbird is usually seen alone or in pairs, moving through vegetation foraging for insects and other small invertebrates.
This common species has a large range, with an estimated extent of 390,000 square kilometres (150,000 sq mi). The population size is believed to be large, and the species is not believed to approach the thresholds for the population decline criterion of theIUCN Red List (i.e. declining more than 30% in ten years or three generations). For these reasons, the species is evaluated as ofleast concern.[1]
