About Apalis thoracica (Shaw, 1811)
The bar-throated apalis (scientific name Apalis thoracica (Shaw, 1811)) is a slender bird with a long tail, measuring 11 to 13 cm in total length. Its plumage differs between subspecies: upper body parts can be either grey or green, while underparts are either white or pale yellow. All recognized forms have a narrow black band across the breast, white outer tail feathers, and a pale eye. The fairly long, slender black bill is slightly curved. Females resemble males in appearance, but have a narrower black breast band. Juveniles have buffer-colored underparts and may have an incomplete black breast band. This species lives in forest and scrub habitats across Southern and East Africa, ranging from the southern and eastern parts of South Africa north to the Chyulu Hills in Kenya. In the northern portion of its range, it is only found in highland areas, where a number of subspecies are restricted to isolated mountain ranges. Some of these restricted populations are currently treated as separate species, including the Namuli apalis (A. lynesi) of Mozambique, the yellow-throated apalis (A. flavigularis) of Malawi, and the Taita apalis (A. fascigularis) of Kenya.
