Brown-headed Apalis

About the Brown-headed Apalis

The brown-headed apalis (Apalis alticola) is a small passerine bird belonging to the genus Apalis in the family Cisticolidae. Formerly included within the grey apalis (A. cinerea) but is now commonly considered to be a separate species. It has two subspecies: A. a. alticola and A. a. dowsetti.

It is 12–13 cm long with a long tail and fairly long, slender bill. The legs and feet are pinkish and the eye is pale orange. The upperparts are grey-brown, becoming chocolate-brown on the crown and cheeks. The underparts are whitish. The adult male and female are alike; juvenile birds are more olive above and slightly yellowish below. In A. a. alticola, the outer tail-feathers have white tips and outer webs and the next three pairs of tail-feathers have small white tips. A. a. dowsetti has entirely white outer tail-feathers.

The grey apalis is similar but has a grey-brown head and dark eye. The outer tail-feathers are white like those of A. a. dowsetti but it does not overlap in range with that subspecies. The song of the brown-headed apalis is a series of loud, high-pitched "chip" notes.

It has a patchy distribution in central and east Africa... Wikipedia →