Southern Red Bishop

Taxobox
name = Southern Red Bishop
status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1

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image_width = 250px
image_caption = Male at Goreangab Dam, Namibia
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Aves
ordo = Passeriformes
familia = Ploceidae
genus = "Euplectes"
species = "E. orix"
binomial = "Euplectes orix"
binomial_authority = (Linnaeus, 1758)

The Southern Red Bishop or Red Bishop ("Euplectes orix") is a small passerine bird belonging to the bishop and widowbird genus "Euplectes" in the weaver family Ploceidae. 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.

Description

It is 10-11 centimetres long and has a thick conical bill. Breeding males are brightly-coloured with red 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.

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.

Distribution and habitat

It occurs from South Africa north to Angola, southern and eastern parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo, southern Uganda and south-west Kenya. It is largely absent from the Namib Desert and Kalahari.

In the breeding season it is found near water among grass, reeds, sedges or crops such as sugar cane. Outside the breeding season it will venture into drier grassland and savanna habitats.

Behaviour

It is a fairly gregarious bird, nesting in colonies and foraging in flocks. It feeds on seeds and some insects. It often roosts in mixed flocks with other members of the weaver family.

At the start of the breeding season, the males build several nests to attract females. They perform a display flight with their feathers fluffed up. They are polygynous and mate with several females. The nest is most commonly built among reeds and is made of grasses and other plant materials woven together. Two to four eggs are laid.

References

* Craig, A.J.F.K. [http://web.uct.ac.za/depts/stats/adu/pdf/824.pdf Red Bishop] . Avian Demography Unit. Accessed 31 December 2007.
* Dowsett-Lemaire, Françoise & Dowsett, Robert J. (2006) "The Birds of Malawi", Tauraco Press & Aves, Liège, Belgium.
* Sinclair, Ian & Ryan, Peter (2003) "Birds of Africa south of the Sahara", Struik, Cape Town.
* Zimmerman, Dale A.; Turner, Donald A. & Pearson, David J. (1999) "Birds of Kenya & Northern Tanzania", Christopher Helm, London.

External links

* [http://www.birdquest.net/afbid/search.php?func=searchresult&af_bs_id=2270 African Bird Image Database: Southern Red Bishop]