Black-throated Wattle-eye (Platysteira peltata) [XC72894]
by Derek Solomon from Kericho Tea Estates, Kenya (call)
Black-throated Wattle-eye (Platysteira peltata) [XC646990]
by isaac kilusu from Mandegee farm, oloitoktok, Kenya (call)
Subspecies
Black-throated Wattle-eye (Platysteira peltata) and Banded Wattle-eye (Platysteira laticincta) (Sibley and Monroe 1990, 1993) are retained as separate species contra Dowsett and Forbes-Watson (1993) who include laticincta as a subspecies of Banded Wattle-eye (Platysteira laticincta).
Traditionally, all members of genus treated as a superspecies, but untenable on grounds of geographical overlap and morphological characters. Better treated as forming a superspecies with Banded Wattle-eye (Platysteira laticincta) and often considered conspecific, but Banded Wattle-eye (Platysteira laticincta) is geographically and ecologically isolated in montane habitat and shows noteworthy plumage differences. Subspecies mentalis intergrades with nominate in eastern Zambia and southern Malawi.
Proposed subspecies jacksoni (from Kenya) considered synonymous with mentalis; brevipennis (from Tanzania) merged with cryptoleuca.
The following 3 subspecies are recognised:
mentalis Barboza du Bocage, 1878 - Western Kenya (west of Rift), Uganda, Burundi and western Tanzania south to Malawi, and Swest through south-eastern DRCongo (Kasai, Katanga, one record southern Kivu) and Zambia to northern and central Angola.
cryptoleuca Oberholser, 1905 - Southern Somalia (R Juba), and eastern Kenya (east of Rift) south, including Mafia I, to Mozambique (north of R Zambezi).
peltata Sundevall, 1850 - North-eastern Zambia, Malawi and northern and eastern Zimbabwe, and coastal lowlands from R Zambezi, south to eastern South Africa (south to Durban; isolated inland record in northern Province).
BirdLife International Species Factsheet