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Parus rufiventris (Rufous-bellied
tit)
Rooipensmees [Afrikaans]; Swartkopmees [Afrikaans];
Roestbuikmees [Dutch]; Mésange à ventre cannelle [French]; Rotbauchmeise
[German]; Chapim-arruivado [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: Paridae
Distribution and habitat
Endemic to central Africa, occurring from Angola and
southern DRC to Zambia and northern Mozambique, extending marginally into
southern Africa. Here it is uncommon to locally common in north-eastern Namibia
(including the Caprivi Strip), with a separate population in northern and
eastern Zimbabwe bordering on Mozambique. It generally prefers well-developed
miombo (Brachystegia) woodland, also occupying woodlands dominated by
Baikiaea plurijuga (Zambezi teak), Burkea africana (Burkea),
Pterocarpus angolensis (Kiaat) and Uapaca kirkiana (Mahabohobo).
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Distribution of Rufous-bellied tit in southern Africa,
based on statistical smoothing of the records from first SA Bird Atlas
Project (©
Animal Demography unit, University of
Cape Town; smoothing by Birgit Erni and Francesca Little). Colours range
from dark blue (most common) through to yellow (least common). |
Food
Forages in the tree canopy, gleaning insects from crevices
in bark, leaves and stems.
Breeding
- Very little is known about its breeding habits, but it is probably a
cooperative breeder.
- The nest is a soft pad of dry grass, leaves and other plant matter,
placed in a natural tree cavity.
- Egg-laying season is from September-December.
- It lays 3-4 eggs, which are incubated by both sexes.
Threats
Not threatened, although fragmentation of Zimbabwe's miombo
(Brachystegia) woodland 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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