long-tailed widowbird
breeding male
transitional male
N14 October 2013
WEAVERS - BIRD OF THE MONTH - JUNE & JULY 2014*
Re: WEAVERS - BIRD OF THE MONTH - JUNE 2014
10.03. - 24.03.2015 From Berg to bush
19.11. - 01.12.2015 KTP
19.11. - 01.12.2015 KTP
Re: WEAVERS - BIRD OF THE MONTH - JUNE 2014
Red Bishop, Southern Red Bishop Euplectes orix
Description
Length ♂ 12-13 cm, ♀ 11-12 cm; wing (192 ♂) 65-71-79, (222 ♀) 59-63,1-68,5; tail (153 ♂) 35-39,8-45,5, (147 ♀) 30,5-34,9-42
Iris brown; bill black (breeding ♂) or pinkish horn, culmen dusky (female and non-breedingeeding male); legs and feet pinkish brown.
Breeding ♂: Forecrown, face and throat black (forecrown scarlet in Firecrowned Bishop; only forehead narrowly black); rest of head, breast, lower belly and rump brilliant orange-scarlet; upper belly black; mantle orange-brown; wings and tail brown.
Female and non-breedingeeding ♂: Above boldly streaked buff and dark brown; eyebrow whitish; below white, washed buff and streaked brown on breast and flanks; wings and tail dark brown.
Immature: Similar to adult ♀, but yellower on throat and breast.
Call
Sharp chiz chiz callnotes; song wheezy whining chsssss zeeeee tsarippy-tsarippy-tsarippy ts-ts-ts-ts-ts zwipzwaay, etc.
Distribution
Africa S of Sahara; throughout most of South Africa except central Kalahari basin and nw Namibia.
Status
Very common resident, less common in dry W; nomadic in winter.
Habitat
Rank grass, reedbeds, bullrushes and sedges in marshes, vleis, dams and rivers; also gardens, orchards, cultivated fields, open grassland.
Behaviour
Gregarious at all times, non-breedingeeding flocks sometimes numbering hundreds of birds, causing losses to grain crops. Forages on ground, walking in short steps; also visits feeding trays. Male displays from perch or in beelike cruising flight on rapidly beating wings, plumage puffed out, uttering swizzling song; sometimes several males display simultaneously in different parts of reedbed. Males often chase females and rival males.
Food
Seeds, grain; insects fed to young.
Breeding
Males polygamous, with up to 7 females each.
Season: July to December in SW Cape, September to March in S Cape, October to April (mainly December-February) in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, November to April (mainly December-March) in Orange Free State, Lesotho and Zimbabwe.
Nest: Thin-walled upright oval woven by ♂ of fine strips of grass and reed leaves, with porched side-top entrance; thinly lined by ♀ with soft grass flowers; attached to upright reed, grass or weed stems (also built in maize fields), or thin vertical branches of tree; usually 1-2 m above ground or water, less often up to 8 m up in tree; usually colonial, sometimes solitary.
Clutch: usually 3 eggs.
Eggs: Plain greenish blue
Incubation: 12-13 days by ♀ only.
Description
Length ♂ 12-13 cm, ♀ 11-12 cm; wing (192 ♂) 65-71-79, (222 ♀) 59-63,1-68,5; tail (153 ♂) 35-39,8-45,5, (147 ♀) 30,5-34,9-42
Iris brown; bill black (breeding ♂) or pinkish horn, culmen dusky (female and non-breedingeeding male); legs and feet pinkish brown.
Breeding ♂: Forecrown, face and throat black (forecrown scarlet in Firecrowned Bishop; only forehead narrowly black); rest of head, breast, lower belly and rump brilliant orange-scarlet; upper belly black; mantle orange-brown; wings and tail brown.
Female and non-breedingeeding ♂: Above boldly streaked buff and dark brown; eyebrow whitish; below white, washed buff and streaked brown on breast and flanks; wings and tail dark brown.
Immature: Similar to adult ♀, but yellower on throat and breast.
Call
Sharp chiz chiz callnotes; song wheezy whining chsssss zeeeee tsarippy-tsarippy-tsarippy ts-ts-ts-ts-ts zwipzwaay, etc.
Distribution
Africa S of Sahara; throughout most of South Africa except central Kalahari basin and nw Namibia.
Status
Very common resident, less common in dry W; nomadic in winter.
Habitat
Rank grass, reedbeds, bullrushes and sedges in marshes, vleis, dams and rivers; also gardens, orchards, cultivated fields, open grassland.
Behaviour
Gregarious at all times, non-breedingeeding flocks sometimes numbering hundreds of birds, causing losses to grain crops. Forages on ground, walking in short steps; also visits feeding trays. Male displays from perch or in beelike cruising flight on rapidly beating wings, plumage puffed out, uttering swizzling song; sometimes several males display simultaneously in different parts of reedbed. Males often chase females and rival males.
Food
Seeds, grain; insects fed to young.
Breeding
Males polygamous, with up to 7 females each.
Season: July to December in SW Cape, September to March in S Cape, October to April (mainly December-February) in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, November to April (mainly December-March) in Orange Free State, Lesotho and Zimbabwe.
Nest: Thin-walled upright oval woven by ♂ of fine strips of grass and reed leaves, with porched side-top entrance; thinly lined by ♀ with soft grass flowers; attached to upright reed, grass or weed stems (also built in maize fields), or thin vertical branches of tree; usually 1-2 m above ground or water, less often up to 8 m up in tree; usually colonial, sometimes solitary.
Clutch: usually 3 eggs.
Eggs: Plain greenish blue
Incubation: 12-13 days by ♀ only.
Re: WEAVERS - BIRD OF THE MONTH - JUNE 2014
Red Bishops
Hunting cannot be considered a sport as all contestants in a sport should know they are playing the game!
- Lisbeth
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Re: WEAVERS - BIRD OF THE MONTH - JUNE & JULY 2014
Red Bishop - Addo Elephant Park
"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." Nelson Mandela
The desire for equality must never exceed the demands of knowledge
The desire for equality must never exceed the demands of knowledge
- Lisbeth
- Site Admin
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Re: WEAVERS - BIRD OF THE MONTH - JUNE & JULY 2014
Southern Red Bishop - Addo
"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." Nelson Mandela
The desire for equality must never exceed the demands of knowledge
The desire for equality must never exceed the demands of knowledge
- Amoli
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Re: WEAVERS - BIRD OF THE MONTH - JUNE & JULY 2014
Time to add some more..
Southern Red Bishop
female
Southern Red Bishop
female
Pretoriuskop
Satara
Shingwedzi
20-30 Dec 2014
Satara
Shingwedzi
20-30 Dec 2014
Bird Identification
From our recent Kruger trip
3. Southern Masked Weaver?
4. Village Weaver (juv.) ?
5. Village vs. S.Masked Weaver?
6. ?? (too many yellow birds in S Africa)
3. Southern Masked Weaver?
4. Village Weaver (juv.) ?
5. Village vs. S.Masked Weaver?
6. ?? (too many yellow birds in S Africa)
-
- Posts: 689
- Joined: Wed Nov 13, 2013 5:03 pm
- Country: South Africa
- Contact:
- harrys
- Posts: 13919
- Joined: Fri Jun 01, 2012 5:37 am
- Country: South Africa
- Location: Warmbaths
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