Oreophilais robertsi (Roberts's
warbler, Brier warbler)
Woudlangstertjie [Afrikaans]; Prinia de Roberts [French];
Roberts-prinie [German]; Felosa de Roberts [Portuguese]
Life
> Eukaryotes >
Opisthokonta
> Metazoa (animals) >
Bilateria >
Deuterostomia > Chordata >
Craniata > Vertebrata (vertebrates) > Gnathostomata (jawed
vertebrates) > Teleostomi (teleost fish) > Osteichthyes (bony fish) > Class:
Sarcopterygii (lobe-finned
fish) > Stegocephalia (terrestrial
vertebrates) > Tetrapoda
(four-legged vertebrates) > Reptiliomorpha > Amniota >
Reptilia (reptiles) >
Romeriida > Diapsida > Archosauromorpha > Archosauria >
Dinosauria
(dinosaurs) > Saurischia > Theropoda (bipedal predatory dinosaurs) >
Coelurosauria > Maniraptora > Aves
(birds) >
Order: Passeriformes > Family: Cisticolidae
Distribution and habitat
Endemic to Zimbabwe's eastern highlands extending into
Mozambique, mainly occurring in forest along streams, in clearings or in dense
bracken (Pteridium) and briar (Smilax) along the edge of the
forest.
Food
It mainly eats small invertebrates, foraging alone, in
pairs or in noisy groups, often along with other species gleaning prey from the
undergrowth. The following food items have been recorded
in its diet:
Breeding
- The nest is oval-shaped with a side-top entrance, made of fine grass and
moss secured with spider web. It is typically placed about 1 metre above
ground in herb or shrub.
- Egg-laying season is from September-February, peaking during October.
- It lays 2-3 bright turquoise eggs, with brown and lilac spots.
Threats
Not threatened, although fragmentation of forest patches is
cause for concern.
References
-
Hockey PAR, Dean WRJ and Ryan PG 2005. Roberts
- Birds of southern Africa, VIIth ed. The Trustees of the John Voelcker
Bird Book Fund, Cape Town.
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