Batis capensis

Both the male and female cape batis can be distinguished from other similar looking batises by their chestnut wingbars.

Our best encounter with this territorial species was in November 2012 while staying at Thendele Camp in the northern Drakensberg. Eileen was busy crossing a small stream when suddenly, out of nowhere, a little bird dive-bombed her, touching the top of her head. We soon pinpointed the culprit; a female cape batis, and quickly realized the reason for her aggressive behaviour. She (together with her husband) was busy building a nest just to the right of the river crossing. We spent some time watching and photographing the pair go about the business of nest-building before retracing our steps.