Grey-backed camaroptera

Grey-backed camaroptera
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Cisticolidae
Genus:	Camaroptera
Species:	C. brevicaudata
Binomial name
Camaroptera brevicaudata (Cretzschmar, 1830)

The grey-backed camaroptera (Camaroptera brevicaudata) is a small bird in the Cisticolidae family. This bird is a resident breeder in Africa south of the Sahara Desert. Recent studies suggest this species and the green-backed camaroptera may be the same species.

This skulking passerine is typically found low in dense cover. The grey-backed camaroptera binds large leaves together low in a bush and builds a grass nest within the leaves. The normal clutch is two or three eggs.

These 11.5 cm long warblers have grey upperparts and a grey short cocked tail. The wings are olive and the underparts whitish grey. The sexes are similar, but juveniles are paler yellow on the breast.

Like most warblers, grey-backed camaroptera is insectivorous. The call is a whining sheee......sheee, and the song is a crisp twik twik twik twik twik .

References

1. BirdLife International (2004). Camaroptera brachyura. 2006. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. www.iucnredlist.org. Retrieved on 9 May 2006.

• Birds of The Gambia by Barlow, Wacher and Disley, ISBN 1-873403-32-1