Southern Red Bishop
Euplectes orix
Observed on a farm in Kamwenge, western Uganda, December 2012.
From Wikipedia: The
Southern Red Bishop or Red Bishop is a small passerine bird. It is common in
wetlands and grassland in Africa south of the Equator. North of the Equator, it
is replaced by the Northern Red Bishop or Orange Bishop (E. franciscanus)
which was formerly regarded as a subspecies of this species.
It is 10–11 centimeters long and has a thick conical bill. Breeding males are
brightly colored with red (occasionally orange) and black plumage. The
forehead, face and throat are black and the rest of the head is red. The
upperparts are red apart from the brown wings and tail. The upper breast and
under tail-coverts are red while the lower breast and belly are black. The
non-breeding male and female have streaky brown plumage, paler below. Females
are smaller than the males. It has various twittering calls and a nasal contact
call. The male has a buzzing song.
The Southern Red Bishop is found in southwestern Kenya, whereas the Northern
Red Bishop is more likely in the rest of Kenya. Breeding males of the Northern
Red Bishop have a red throat, black extending further back on the crown and
long tail-coverts which almost cover the tail. The females and non-breeding
males are almost identical to those of the Southern Red Bishop.
Ploceidae -- Weaver 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