Scientific name: Apalis thoracica
The bar-throated apalis is a slender bird with a long tail and is 11 to 13 cm in length. The plumage varies depending on the subspecies: the upper parts can be grey or green while the underparts are white or pale yellow. All forms have a narrow black band across the breast, white outer tail-feathers and a pale eye. The black bill is fairly long and slender and is slightly curved. Females are similar to males but have a narrower breast band.
Pairs sing a duetting song with the female's call being higher-pitched than that of the male.
Here it is common across much of Zimbabwe, central Mozambique, south-eastern Botswana and South Africa, preferring evergreen forest, valley bushveld, woodland along drainage lines in the Karoo and scrub around sand dunes. It is occasionally found in grassland and alien tree stands and plantations.
It mainly eats invertebrates gleaned from leaves and twigs, supplemented with fruit.
