| Wattle-eyes and batises | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Brown-throated wattle-eye | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Superfamily: | Malaconotoidea |
| Family: | Platysteiridae Sundevall, 1872 |
| Genera | |
Platysteiridae is a family of small, stoutpasserinebirds of theAfrican tropics. The family contains thewattle-eyes,batises andshrike-flycatchers. They were previously classed as a subfamily of theOld World flycatchers, Muscicapidae. These insect-eating birds are usually found in open forests or bush. They hunt by flycatching, or by taking prey from the ground like ashrike. The nest is a small, neat cup, placed low in a tree or bush.
The Platysteiridae are arboreal birds, primarily of the woodlands and forests ofsub-Saharan Africa. The family is restricted to mainland Africa and its offshore islands. The shrike-flycatchers and genusDyaphorophyia are inhabitants of dense forest, while the rest of the wattle-eyes are found in woodland, and the batises range across all wooded habitats except the densest forests of theCongo Basin. Thepririt andpygmy batis survive in very arid environments with some cover, and thewhite-fronted wattle-eye favoursmangrove forests in Angola. Many species in the family have adapted to human-altered habitats. The family has its highest diversity at equatorial latitudes, with half the known species native toTanzania and almost half also ranging into theDRC andKenya.
The family is overwhelminglysedentary. However, there are a few exceptions; theAfrican shrike-flycatcher is probably an intra-Africanmigrant, as it is seasonally absent from parts of its range. In addition, some batis species undertake seasonal migrations, besides some local movements in response to changing local conditions.
The Platysteiridae are small to medium-sized passerines. They have short legs and an upright stance while perched. The tail length is variable, with theDyaphorophyia wattle-eyes and batises having short tails and thePlatysteria wattle-eyes and shrike-flycatchers possessing longish tails. Thebill is flat and hooked at the tip, and generally wide with well-developedrictal bristles. With the exception of a few batises, theplumage of the family issexually dimorphic. Overall the family has white undersides and dark, speckled upperparts, with many species sporting a band across the chest. A few wattle-eyes depart from this pattern and possess brightly coloured plumage. The plumage on the back of some genera are erectile, giving the family the alternative name ofpuffback flycatchers. The irides of batises and theblack-and-white shrike-flycatcher are brightly coloured and used in communication, becoming more brightly coloured when the adults are excited. In the wattle-eyes the supra-orbital wattles above the eyes, for which they are named, are used in communication. In addition the family is highlyvocal, with a repertoire that includes a range of whistles, harsh calls and duets.
The most important component in the diet of all species isinsects, although spiders, millipedes and scorpions are also taken, and there are even records of small lizards being consumed. Amongst the insect prey, a number of different types are eaten: beetles, grasshoppers and otherOrthoptera, flies, mosquitoes, wasps, termites, mantises and others. Members of this family forage either individually or in family groups. Some species will also joinmixed species feeding flocks, which confers some foraging advantages.[1] The different species and genera use a variety of methods to obtain prey, ranging from foliage-gleaning to flycatching.
One species, thebanded wattle-eye, is consideredthreatened by human activities. The species has a restricted range inCameroon which is vulnerable to forest clearance, and it is listed asendangered by theIUCN.[2] Two other species are considered near-threatened, theGabon batis and thewhite-fronted wattle-eye; both species are threatened byhabitat loss. Some species are also very poorly known, and one species, thedark batis, was only identified as a species in 2006.[3]
The family contains 32 species in 4 genera:[4]