Pale Batis

The Pale Batis, also known as the Mozambique Batis or East Coast Batis, is a diminutive avian species adorned in a palette of black, white, and grey. The male exhibits a striking black facial mask, elegantly framed by a slender white supercilium above a yellow eye, and a pale grey back dappled with subtle white spots. His underparts are a pristine white, boldly interrupted by a black breast band. The female, in contrast, boasts a pale rufous band across her breast and a matching spot upon her chin. Both sexes share the same black bill and legs, while the immature birds resemble the female but with a browner breast band and a buffy wash on the underparts. This species measures a compact 10.5–11.5 cm in length and tips the scales at a lightweight 8–13.1 g.

Identification Tips

When identifying the Pale Batis, look for the black mask and white supercilium on a grey head, the black or rufous breast band depending on the sex, and the black bill and legs. The bird's active behaviour and distinctive coloration make it recognizable within its habitat.

Habitat

The Pale Batis is typically found in lowland miombo woodlands, thriving below 500 m in coastal woodlands where forest and dense scrub intermingle. It can also be encountered in mopane and acacia at the fringes of its range, and in the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe, it ascends to 1,500 m above sea level in tall Uapaca kirkiana stands, thickets of Philippia spp., and mountain acacia-dominated woodlands.

Distribution

This species graces the eastern African landscape, from coastal Kenya, including the Arabuko Sokoke National Park, south through eastern and southeastern Tanzania, the islands of Zanzibar and Mafia, to Mozambique as far south as the Save River, and inland to southeastern Malawi and the east-facing slopes of the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe.

Behaviour

The Pale Batis is known to forage by gleaning insects from leaves and branches, occasionally hovering to do so, and often participates in mixed foraging parties. Its social structure is typically seen in pairs or family groups, with males sometimes forming single-sex aggregations known as "parliaments" before breeding. The male performs an elaborate zigzag courtship display flight, accompanied by wing fripping, tail fanning, and rump feather fluffing, while both sexes vocalize their respective calls.

Song & Calls

The Pale Batis' territorial call is a plaintive, long, and piping 3-note "pook pook pook" repeated up to 12 times at a steady pace. The female contributes with excited "wik-wik" calls. Their vocal repertoire also includes typical batis sounds such as bill snaps, churrs, and whistles.

Breeding

The nest is a small, deep cup constructed from thin strips of Combretum bark and grass inflorescences, bound together with spider webs, usually placed in a branch fork at least 6 m above ground. The breeding season sees a clutch of 1–2 eggs laid between September and November. The female undertakes all incubation duties and initially feeds the young alone, with the male joining in as the chicks mature. Only the immediate vicinity of the nest is defended.

Diet and Feeding

The Pale Batis gleans insects from foliage and branches, sometimes hovering to feed, and is known to join mixed-species foraging flocks.

Conservation status

The IUCN Red List classifies the Pale Batis as Least Concern, indicating that the species does not currently face a significant risk of extinction in the wild.