Platysteira cyanea
The Brown-throated Wattle-eye (Platysteira cyanea) is a strikingly distinctive passerine, a jewel of West and Central African forests. This small, compact bird measures approximately 12-13 cm in length and weighs between 9-13 grams. Males are characterized by glossy, iridescent blue-black upperparts contrasting with pristine white underparts, bisected by a broad, sharply defined black breast band. Females share this general pattern but are uniquely distinguished by a rich chestnut-brown throa...
Found in a variety of forest and woodland habitats, including dense thickets, riparian vegetation, forest edges, and secondary growth, from lowlands up to approximately 1800 meters.
Primarily insectivorous, feeding on a wide range of small invertebrates including flies, beetles, caterpillars, moths, and grasshoppers, often caught in flight or gleaned from vegetation.
Brown-throated Wattle-eyes are diurnal, active insectivores, constantly flitting through the understory and mid-canopy. They employ an active foraging strategy, gleaning insects from foliage with rapid, jerky movements and frequently performing short, acrobatic aerial sallies to hawk passing inse...
The Brown-throated Wattle-eye boasts a wide and stable distribution across West and Central Africa, primarily as a resident species with no significant migratory movements. Its range extends from Senegambia in the west, encompassing countries such as Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, ...
Least Concern
- The 'wattle' above its eye is a fleshy, unfeathered appendage that can visibly swell or change color intensity when the bird is excited or agitated. - It belongs to the unique African family Platysteiridae, often referred to as the 'wattle-eyes and batises,' a group found nowhere else in the wo...