%2020.jpg)
The Green-backed Camaroptera (Camaroptera brachyura) is a small, insect-eating African bird known for its "bleating" alarm call, distinctive tail-cocking, and preference for dense thickets near water in savanna and woodland; it builds unique ball-shaped nests from leaves and spiderwebs, often parasitized by cuckoos, and is common but secretive, inhabiting undergrowth and forest edges across sub-Saharan Africa.
Appearance: Small, rotund, wren-like, with olive-green wings, gray-white underparts, red eyes, and a short tail it frequently cocks.
Name Origin: Brachyura means "short-tailed" in Greek, though the tail is prominent with its movements.
Habitat: Prefers moist bush, riverine woodland, forest edges, and thickets, often near water, across much of Africa.
Diet: Primarily insects (caterpillars, beetles, ants), foraging low to the ground or in leaf litter.
Vocalization: Famous for its nasal "meehrrp" alarm (like a bleating lamb) and a strident "strik-strik-strik" song, sometimes with bill snapping.
Nesting: Builds a unique ball-shaped nest of leaves bound with spiderwebs, often low in shrubs, and both parents incubate and feed chicks.
Behavior: Forages alone or in pairs, gleaning insects and flushing prey, often mimicking tail-cocking of wrens.
Brood Parasitism: Frequently targeted by the African emerald cuckoo.
Variations: Sometimes split into "green-backed" (eastern) and "grey-backed" (rest of Africa) forms, though debated.
