A small black and white bird whose bright red eyebrows stand out in stark contrast against the rest of his body!

Meet the Black-throated Wattle-eye

“File:Black-throated Wattle-eye (Platysteira peltata) from side.jpg” by Alan Manson is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

The black-throated wattle-eye (Platysteira peltata) is about 13 cm long, weighing in at around 13 grams. His head is black, his throat and belly white which is separated by a narrow black band. Above each eye is a patch of bare skin which is bright red. The eyes are brown, the back and legs black.

Photo Courtesy of Tom Tarrant / CC BY-SA 3.0

Female birds look alot like male birds except that they have a black throat instead of white.

Juvenile birds tend to have grey heads instead of black with splashes of brown on their back and no black throat or black chest band.

“Black-throated Wattle-eye (Platysteira peltata)” by Alan Manson is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Residing in Africa these birds can be found from Angola to Kenya with scattered populations across Zimbabwe, Mozambique and into eastern South Africa.

“File:Black-throated Wattle-eye female RWD.jpg” by DickDaniels (http://carolinabirds.org/) is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Found across a diverse range, they can be found in coastal forests, near rivers and streams. They can also be found in tall trees, gardens and areas with dense undergrowth such as mangroves.

Photo Courtesy of Tom Tarrant / CC BY-SA 3.0

Insectivorous birds they can often be seen catching their prey on the wing, though they will occasionally take from foliage. They dine on flies, grasshoppers, crikcets, moths and caterpillars.

“500_7429” by Bird Brian is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

The breeding season for Black-throated wattle-eye is from September through to January when the female builds a nest constructed with twigs and grass bound together with spider web. This is usually built in the fork of a tree, bush, or small tree. Within she lays from 1 to 2 green-grey eggs which are then incubated for around 16 to 18 days while the male guards the territory. Both sexes feed the young, though the female does the bulk of the work. They fledge after 14 to 16 days.

Photo Courtesy of Steve Garvie / Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic

Here’s a video of the Brown-throated Wattle-eye a close relative of the Black-throated wattle-eye: