Rufous-bellied Helmetshrike
Encyclopedia
The Rufous-bellied Helmetshrike or Gabon Helmetshrike (Prionops rufiventris) is a passerine
bird
belonging to the helmetshrike
family, Prionopidae. It inhabits tropical forest in Central Africa
. It is sometimes included within the Chestnut-bellied Helmetshrike
(P. caniceps) of West Africa
.
, legs and feet are orange-red and the eye is yellow with a bare orange-red ring around it. The eastern subspecies
P. r. mentalis has darker underparts and a grey-brown eye. Juvenile
birds are duller than the adults and have a pale buff-white breast and belly and a largely whitish head. The bill is blackish and the legs and feet are dark orange.
It is a noisy bird with a variety of complex chattering and whistling calls. Birds often call together in a duet or chorus. They also make bill-snapping sounds and the wings produce a sound during flight.
, mainland Equatorial Guinea
, south-west Central African Republic
, northern and western Gabon
, Cabinda
and parts of the Republic of Congo and north-western Democratic Republic of Congo. P. r. mentalis occurs in central and eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and western Uganda
and formerly occurred in Rwanda
.
The species is found mainly in lowland forest up to 1,450 m above sea-level. It occurs in primary and mature secondary forest and in gallery forest along rivers. It is locally common and does not appear to be threatened.
s. It most often forages around the middle level of trees at 10-30 m above the ground. It makes short flights
to catch prey or gleans
items from small branches. The diet consists of insect
s and other arthropod
s. The bird appears to breed in groups with one dominant pair helped by the others.
Passerine
A passerine is a bird of the order Passeriformes, which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds or, less accurately, as songbirds, the passerines form one of the most diverse terrestrial vertebrate orders: with over 5,000 identified species, it has roughly...
bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
belonging to the helmetshrike
Helmetshrike
The helmetshrikes are smallish passerine bird species. These birds were included with the true shrikes in the family Laniidae, later on split between several presumably closely related groups such as bushshrikes and cuckoo-shrikes , but are now considered sufficiently distinctive to be separated...
family, Prionopidae. It inhabits tropical forest in Central Africa
Central Africa
Central Africa is a core region of the African continent which includes Burundi, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Rwanda....
. It is sometimes included within the Chestnut-bellied Helmetshrike
Chestnut-bellied Helmetshrike
The Chestnut-bellied Helmetshrike or Red-billed Helmetshrike is a species of bird in the helmetshrike family Prionopidae, formerly usually included in the Malaconotidae....
(P. caniceps) of West Africa
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
.
Description
It is 20-22 cm long. The adult has glossy black upperparts and throat and reddish-brown underparts with a narrow white breastband. The top and sides of the head and the chin are pale blue-grey and there are bushy whitish feathers on the forehead. The wings are broad and rounded with a white band across the primaries. The billBeak
The beak, bill or rostrum is an external anatomical structure of birds which is used for eating and for grooming, manipulating objects, killing prey, fighting, probing for food, courtship and feeding young...
, legs and feet are orange-red and the eye is yellow with a bare orange-red ring around it. The eastern subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
P. r. mentalis has darker underparts and a grey-brown eye. Juvenile
Juvenile (organism)
A juvenile is an individual organism that has not yet reached its adult form, sexual maturity or size. Juveniles sometimes look very different from the adult form, particularly in terms of their colour...
birds are duller than the adults and have a pale buff-white breast and belly and a largely whitish head. The bill is blackish and the legs and feet are dark orange.
It is a noisy bird with a variety of complex chattering and whistling calls. Birds often call together in a duet or chorus. They also make bill-snapping sounds and the wings produce a sound during flight.
Distribution and habitat
The western subspecies P. r. rufiventris is found in southern CameroonCameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
, mainland Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea, officially the Republic of Equatorial Guinea where the capital Malabo is situated.Annobón is the southernmost island of Equatorial Guinea and is situated just south of the equator. Bioko island is the northernmost point of Equatorial Guinea. Between the two islands and to the...
, south-west Central African Republic
Central African Republic
The Central African Republic , is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It borders Chad in the north, Sudan in the north east, South Sudan in the east, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo in the south, and Cameroon in the west. The CAR covers a land area of about ,...
, northern and western Gabon
Gabon
Gabon , officially the Gabonese Republic is a state in west central Africa sharing borders with Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north, and with the Republic of the Congo curving around the east and south. The Gulf of Guinea, an arm of the Atlantic Ocean is to the west...
, Cabinda
Cabinda (province)
Cabinda is an exclave and province of Angola, a status that has been disputed by many political organizations in the territory. The capital city is also called Cabinda. The province is divided into four municipalities - Belize, Buco Zau, Cabinda and Cacongo.Modern Cabinda is the result of a fusion...
and parts of the Republic of Congo and north-western Democratic Republic of Congo. P. r. mentalis occurs in central and eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and western Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
and formerly occurred in Rwanda
Rwanda
Rwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
.
The species is found mainly in lowland forest up to 1,450 m above sea-level. It occurs in primary and mature secondary forest and in gallery forest along rivers. It is locally common and does not appear to be threatened.
Behaviour
Its behaviour has been little-studied. It typically feeds in pairs or small groups and often joins mixed-species feeding flockMixed-species feeding flock
A mixed-species feeding flock, also termed a mixed-species foraging flock, mixed hunting party or informally bird wave, is a flock of usually insectivorous birds of different species, that join each other and move together while foraging...
s. It most often forages around the middle level of trees at 10-30 m above the ground. It makes short flights
Hawking (birds)
Hawking is a feeding strategy in birds involving catching flying insects in the air. The term usually refers to a technique of sallying out from a perch to snatch an insect and then returning to the same or a different perch...
to catch prey or gleans
Gleaning (birds)
Gleaning is a term for a feeding strategy by birds in which they catch invertebrate prey, mainly arthropods, by plucking them from foliage or the ground, from crevices such as rock faces and under the eaves of houses, or even, as in the case of ticks and lice, from living animals. This behavior is...
items from small branches. The diet consists of insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s and other arthropod
Arthropod
An arthropod is an invertebrate animal having an exoskeleton , a segmented body, and jointed appendages. Arthropods are members of the phylum Arthropoda , and include the insects, arachnids, crustaceans, and others...
s. The bird appears to breed in groups with one dominant pair helped by the others.