Rufous-crowned Eremomela Eremomela badiceps Scientific name definitions

10 cm; 8·8–11·5 g. Nominate has forehead to nape chestnut, black band through lores and ear-coverts; grey upperparts; upperwing dark grey-brown with grey-buff feather edges, tail blackish-brown; chin and throat white, black band on upper breast , creamy white below, sides and flanks grey ; iris dark brown; bill black; legs pale pinkish-brown. Sexes alike. Juvenile dull olive-green above, crown tinged cinnamon-brown, pale yellow below, greyish flanks, breastband light greyish or absent. Race <em>fantiensis</em> has belly creamy or yellowish; latukae like nominate, but chestnut of crown duller and extends less on nape.

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Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

Lowland forest; treetops at forest edges and clearings; secondary forest and regrowth; gallery forests; coffee forest in N Angola. Also small trees around villages and habitation.

Sedentary.

Insects, including caterpillars, ants (Hymenoptera), termites (Isoptera) and small beetles (Coleoptera); spiders (Araneae); berries and seeds also taken. Forages in canopy, often above 20 m, but will descend to middle level; usually in small noisy groups, searching leaves and twigs.

Song a series of sharp high-pitched notes interspersed with lower, more musical ones, sometimes combined into short trills; when foraging, soft twittering contact calls “tititu tititu” and short dry trills.

Territorial. Probably co-operative breeder. No other information.

Not globally threatened. Wide-ranging, but nowhere common.