Brown Parisoma
Brown Warbler
Sylvia lugens
Foraging in a tree on the Elgeyo Escarpment near Iten, Kenya. July 2014.
Very small, plain brown bird with a small slender bill that moves actively in foliage and easily disappears into the shady recesses. There it hunts relentlessly for small insects, gleaning them from leaves or even opening their silken retreats. This one is carrying several moth larvae, most likely to return them to a nest with young to feed. If it weren't for the services of these birds, the trees could suffer large populations of herbivorous insects. (Question: How does the bird manage to catch additional larvae after already holding the first in its bill?)
Sylvidae -- a Warbler Family
Books Available for Sale on ABE Books:
- Birds of Kenya and Northern Tanzania by Zimmerman et al.
- Birds of East Africa by Stevenson and Fanshawe