Grey-backed Camaroptera (Camaroptera brevicaudata) [XC697676]
by Hans Matheve from Mandegee farm, oloitoktok, Kenya (call)
Grey-backed Camaroptera (Camaroptera brevicaudata) [XC699557]
by Hans Matheve from Gwabi River Lodge, Chirundu, Southern Province, Zambia (song)
Nest
Composed of grass by binding large leaves together, located low in a bush.
Subspecies
Grey-backed Camaroptera (Camaroptera brevicaudata), Hartert's Camaroptera (Camaroptera harterti) and Bleating Camaroptera (Camaroptera brachyura) (Sibley and Monroe 1990, 1993) have been lumped into Camaroptera brachyura following Dowsett and Forbes-Watson (1993).
Considered by some authors to be a subspecies of Bleating Camaroptera (Camaroptera brachyura).
The following 11 subspecies are recognised:
brevicaudata (Cretzschmar, 1830) - Widespread. Considered by some authors to be a subspecies of Bleating Camaroptera (Camaroptera brachyura).
tincta (Cassin, 1855) - Forest and woodland from Liberia east to western Kenya, south to north-western Angola. Considered by some authors to be a subspecies of Bleating Camaroptera (Camaroptera brachyura).
abessinica Zedlitz, 1911 - Southern Sudan, north-eastern DRCongo, Ethiopia, Djibouti, north-western Somalia, northern Uganda and northern Kenya. Considered by some authors to be a subspecies of Bleating Camaroptera (Camaroptera brachyura).
insulata Desfayes, 1975 - Forested areas of south-central Ethiopia. Considered by some authors to be a subspecies of Bleating Camaroptera (Camaroptera brachyura).
aschani Granvik, 1934 - Eastern DRCongo (Kivu), south-western Uganda and Kenyan Highlands. Considered by some authors to be a subspecies of Bleating Camaroptera (Camaroptera brachyura).
erlangeri Reichenow, 1905 - Southern Somalia, eastern Kenya and north-eastern Tanzania. Considered by some authors to be a subspecies of Bleating Camaroptera (Camaroptera brachyura).
griseigula Sharpe, 1892 - South-eastern Uganda, western Kenya and northern Tanzania. Considered by some authors to be a subspecies of Bleating Camaroptera (Camaroptera brachyura).
intercalata White, CMN, 1960 - Northern and north-eastern Angola, southern DRCongo, northern Zambia and western Tanzania. Considered by some authors to be a subspecies of Bleating Camaroptera (Camaroptera brachyura).
sharpei Zedlitz, 1911 - Southern Angola, northern Namibia, northern and eastern Botswana, southern Zambia, arid parts of western Malawi and northern South Africa (North West Province). Considered by some authors to be a subspecies of Bleating Camaroptera (Camaroptera brachyura).
transitiva Clancey, 1974 - Zimbabwe, south-eastern Botswana and north-eastern South Africa. Considered by some authors to be a subspecies of Bleating Camaroptera (Camaroptera brachyura).
beirensis Roberts, 1932 - Mozambique north of R Save, adjacent Zimbabwe, and south to north-eastern South Africa (north-eastern KwaZulu-Natal). Considered by some authors to be a subspecies of Bleating Camaroptera (Camaroptera brachyura).