Bird Album
Dark Batis
Batis crypta Fjeldså, Bowie & Kiure, 2006
10 cmLength12 gWeight
The dark batis (Batis crypta) is a small passerine bird belonging to the genus Batis in the wattle-eye family, Platysteiridae.
Most records: Malawi
Where and when it's recorded
Dark Batis has been recorded at 2 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 1 country or region.
Records by month Southern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Luwawa Forest LodgeMalawi1 record
- Nyika National ParkMalawi1 record
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
The dark batis (Batis crypta) is a small passerine bird belonging to the genus Batis in the wattle-eye family, Platysteiridae. It is found in highland forest in south-west Tanzania, northern Malawi, and northern Mozambique. These birds were formerly thought to be forest batises (B. mixta) but in 2006 were described as a new species based on differences in morphology and mitochondrial DNA from those birds in northern Tanzania and Kenya.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Dark Batis?
The Dark Batis is about 10 cm long and weighs around 12 g.
Where does the Dark Batis live?
Its breeding range: Africa: Eastern Arc Mountains of Tanzania and northwestern Malawi. It is most often recorded in Malawi.
Is the Dark Batis endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Dark Batis as Least Concern.
What does the Dark Batis eat?
Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.
What family is the Dark Batis in?
It belongs to the family Wattle-eyes, Batises (Platysteiridae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).
At a glance
- Length
- 10 cm
- Weight
- 12 g
- Habitat
- Forest
- Diet
- Insects & other invertebrates
- Lifestyle
- Perches in trees
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 60 mm
- Tail
- 35 mm
- Bill
- 15 mm
- Tarsus
- 19 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Africa: Eastern Arc Mountains of Tanzania and northwestern Malawi
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Passerines Passeriformes
- Family
- Wattle-eyes, Batises Platysteiridae
- Genus
- Batis
Other birds in the genus Batis
Rwenzori BatisBatis diops
Margaret's BatisBatis margaritae
Forest BatisBatis mixta
Malawi BatisBatis dimorpha
Cape BatisBatis capensis
Woodwards' BatisBatis fratrum
Chinspot BatisBatis molitor
Senegal BatisBatis senegalensis
Grey-headed BatisBatis orientalis
Pale BatisBatis soror
Pririt BatisBatis pririt
Eastern Black-headed BatisBatis minor
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Martin Kennewell. ↗
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