Chirping with Kloof Conservancy – Broad-tailed Warbler

THE Broad-tailed Warbler, also known as the Fan-tailed Grassbird (Schoenicola brevirostris), is one species that you need to actively look for as it is a grassland bird, therefore it is unlikely to be spotted in your garden or urban areas.

Also read: Chirping with Kloof Conservancy – Fan-tailed Widowbird

Description

This is a relatively small bird at 15cm in length and 15g in weight. It is mainly light brown in colour but can be identified by its unique tail, which can be spread wide like a fan to display its vibrant, rusty-red feathers. This striking feature is particularly noticeable when the bird is in flight. Both male and female are the same in appearance.

Distribution

The Broad-tailed Warbler is native to southern and south-eastern Africa. In South Africa, it is restricted. It is a small, plump bird that is typically brown in colour, with a distinctive fan-shaped tail and a sharp, chirping call which is often heard in the grasslands.

Habitat

This species is only found in grasslands, and generally largish ones, so you are unlikely to find it in some of our smaller urban grasslands.

Feeding

The Broad-tailed Warbler is an insectivore, feeding almost exclusively on insects, such as caterpillars, grasshoppers and small beetles. It can often be spotted in a grassland as it flits rapidly and erratically through the grasslands, darting and swooping as it hunts for insects. It is an excellent hunter, largely due to its sharp, pointed beak, which is well adapted for plucking prey from the grasses and foraging for food on the ground.

Breeding

Not much is known of the breeding habits of the Broad-tailed Warbler other than that it is a solitary nester, building a nest in grass tufts approximately 200mm above ground.

Local Information

The best spots to find the Broad-tailed Warbler are the extensive grasslands in Krantzkloof Nature Reserve or those in the Assagay, Monteseel and Cato Ridge areas.

Interesting facts

The Broad-tailed Warbler is also well known for its vocalisation, which is a sharp, repeated chirp that is often heard echoing across the grasslands. This chirping call is used to signal to other birds, to establish territory and to attract mates, and is a familiar and distinctive sound for many people who walk in the grasslands.

Threats

The Broad-tailed Warbler is considered to be a near-threatened species in South Africa, due mainly to the rapid loss of its grassland habitat. In many areas, grasslands are being converted to agricultural land, or are being degraded by overgrazing and other forms of land use. This reduction in habitat has led to declines in the population of the Broad-tailed Warbler and other grassland birds.

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