Africa Wild Bird Book

[Toko]

821. Red-billed Quelea Quelea quelea (Rooibekkwelea)
Order: Passeriformes. Family: Ploceidae

Quelea.jpg (46.35 KiB) Viewed 1331 times

© ExFmem
Non-breeding

Description
11-13 cm long, weight 15-20 g. The male has a more colourful plumage and red bill during the breeding season. The breeding plumage can be variable; it has a facial mask with no pink or varying amounts of pink around the mask. The mask is usually black but is white in some males. Its breast and crown plumage can vary from yellow to bright red. This variation is to allow individuals to recognise each other.
In the non-breeding season the sexes are alike, with a dull brown plumage, and a red bill, eye-rings and legs.
The juvenile resembles the female, bat has a pale brown bill.

Distribution
It is the most abundant wild bird on the planet, with an estimated population of 1.5 billion birds, occurring across much of sub-Saharan Africa, excluding the lowland forests of West Africa, arid areas of southern Namibia, south-western Botswana and the southern half of South Africa.
There are three subspecies in which there are small plumage differences in the breeding plumages of males. Approximate distributions are: Q. q. quelea occurs in western Africa from Senegal to Chad; Q. q. aethiopica in north-eastern Africa from Sudan to Somalia, north-eastern Zaire, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania; and Q. q. lathamii in the southern third of Africa.

Habitat: It is most prolific in semi-arid habitats such as thornveld and cultivated land, but it may also occupy exceptionally wet or dry areas.

Movements and migrations: Nomadic, moving across large and short distances in search of rainfall and the abundance of food which follows

Diet
It mainly eats seeds of cereals and grasses, supplemented with arthropods taken from vegetation and in flight. It is highly gregarious, living in flocks which can be have millions of birds, which can completely devastate cultivate areas.

Breeding
Monogamous and highly colonial, breeding in highly synchronised colonies which can be several kilometres in diameter! It is territorial, but the male and female only defend the immediate vicinity of their nest. The nest is built solely by the male in about 2-3 days, consisting of a small oval grass ball with a side-top entrance covered by a small hood. It is typically attached to a thorny tree along with many other nests made by other males. Egg-laying season is from December-March. It lays 1-5 light blue eggs, which are incubated mainly by the female for about 10-12 days, while the male occasionally takes a short shift in the daytime. The chicks leave the nest after about 10-13 days, becoming fully independent about 10-11 days later. The Red-billed Quelea has one of the shortest breeding cycles of any bird.
This species also builds non-breeding nests through the year.

Call
The call is a high-pitched chittering given by flocks in flight and at roost. Listen to Bird Call.

Status
Nomadic, sometimes very abundant.

[Toko]

821. Red-billed Quelea Quelea quelea

© Pumbaa
Kruger National Park, Matjulu, Feb 2020

© Penga Ndlovu
Non-breeding

© ExFmem
Non-breeding

© Super Mongoose
Breeding

© leachy
Breeding

© ExFmem

Links:
http://sabap2.adu.org.za/docs/sabap1/821.pdf
http://sabap2.adu.org.za/spp_summary.ph ... &section=3
Weaver Wednesday: Red-billed Quelea
Lloyd, P. 1999. Queleas. Africa - Birds & Birding 4(4):52-61.

[Amoli]

826. Yellow-crowned Bishop (formerly known as Golden bishop) Euplectes afer (Goudgeelvink)
Order: Passeriformes. Family: Ploceidae

Yellow-crowned Bishop.jpg (46.66 KiB) Viewed 1283 times

Description
10 cm. Small and compact. Highly sexually dimorphic in its breeding season, during which the male adopts a distinctive yellow and black plumage, contrasting with the female's predominantly brown coloration. The legs and feet are pinkish brown.
Breeding male: Black plumage. Fluffy yellow crown, back rump, flanks and under tail-coverts.
Non-breeding male and female: White undersides, streaking on flanks. Buffy-yellow eye brow. During non-breeding season, the male's bill is horn in color, as is the female's.
Similar species: The non-breeding birds closely resemble the Southern Red Bishop, but are noticeably smaller and paler averall with reduced streaking on breast and flanks.

Distribution
Occurs in isolated patches across sub-Saharan Africa, from Senegal to southern Sudan yet absent from the DRC, south to southern Africa. Here it is locally common in the eastern half of South Africa, with more localised populations in northern Namibia, northern and south-eastern Botswana and Zimbabwe.

Habitat: Reedbeds and grasses near water. In the breeding season it mainly occupies marshes or seasonally flooded areas, but when isn't breeding it can move into dry habitats such as cultivated areas.

Diet
It mainly eats seeds taken from the ground or directly from plants, often joining mixed species foraging flocks along with other widowbirds, bishops and queleas.

Breeding
Polygynous, colonial breeder, living in small colonies, each with one male who controls about 2-3 nests and multiple females. Males defend their territory and attract females by fluffing out their yellow back feathers and calling, sometimes performing display flights while doing so. The male builds a ball-shaped nest with a side-top entrance, made of woven grass-strips and, if accepted by the female, she lines the interior with grass seedheads. It is typically suspended between grass stems over water, incorporating the tips of the grass stems into the roof, concealing the entrance. Egg-laying season is from November-May, peaking from December-March. It lays 2-4 eggs, which are incubated solely by the female for about 12-14 days. The chicks are fed by the female only, leaving the nest after approximately 11-13 days and becoming independent roughly 5 weeks later.

Call
The call is a high-pitched, rasping, buzzing swizzling, somewhat insect-like: zzzzzzz, zzit, zzit, zzzz.

Status
Common resident.

[Amoli]

826. Yellow-crowned Bishop Euplectes afer

© Amoli
Breeding Male

Breeding Male © Amoli
Rietvlei Nature Reserve, Gauteng

Breeding Male © Duke
Mariepskop Nature Reserve

© Flutterby
Female, Rietvlei Nature Reserve, Gauteng

© Flutterby
Female

© Flutterby
Female, Rietvlei Nature Reserve, Gauteng

Links:
Sabap2
Species Text Sabap1
Weaver Wednesday

[Flutterby]

824. Southern Red Bishop Euplectes orix (Suidelike Rooivink)
Order: Passeriformes. Family: Ploceidae

Southern Red Bishop.jpg (53.17 KiB) Viewed 1282 times

Description
Small weaver, just about 12 cm long.
The breeding male is generally black and red, with a short tail. It has a black mask and abdomen.The crown, throat, breast, rump, upper and under tail coverts are red. White underwings.
Non-breeding males, females and juveniles have uniform brown colour with blackish flecking on the head and body. Above each eye is a pale yellow stripe that is usually more pronounced in the male. The beak is horn-coloured with some male's beaks retaining a blackish tinge throughout the year. The male is usually slightly larger than the female and often has larger, thicker legs.
Similar species: Female, non-breeding male and juvenile are difficult to distinguish from Yellow-crowned Bishop, but Southern Red Bishop has more heavily striked underparts with a buff (not white) background colour.

Distribution
Common through most of Africa south of the equator, from Tanzania through Zambia and Angola to southern Africa, where it is especially common in Zimbabwe and South Africa.

Habitat
Grassland and savanna, usually near water. Breeds in reedbeds, sometimes in crops.

Diet
Bishops feed mainly on seeds, for which they are well equipped with short heavy bills, but will also take insects and nectar.

Breeding
The Southern Red Bishop is territorial and polygynous, with up to 7 females nesting in a male's territory at any one time, and up to 18 females in a breeding season. It is colonial, with colonies of several hundred nests in reeds; nests are also found in small groups and sometimes a pair nests solitarily. The male builds about 3-13 nests per breeding season, with each taking about 1-3 days to complete, tightly weaving thin strips of reeds and grass to form an oval-shaped structure with a side entrance covered by a hood. It is typically attached to reeds, sedges or bulrushes, or occasionally in crops such as maize. Egg-laying season almost year-round, peaking from November-February. Initially eggs are visible through the weaving, but as the female adds lining during incubation the nest walls become opaque. The average clutch size is 3 eggs, but the mean clutch size is larger in years of heavier rainfall. The female incubates for only 40% during the day, with bouts in the nest of 1-10 minutes and absences of 1-12 minutes. Eggs are incubated solely by the female for about 12-13 days. The chicks are fed by the female only, leaving the nest after about 11-15 days.
The Southern Red Bishop is a major host to the Diderick Cuckoo but high rates of brood parasitism are found only at small colonies where all the territory-holders may be absent at the same time.

Call
A cheet, cheet or a sizzling zik-zik-zik. Listen to Bird Call.

Status
Widespread common resident.

[Flutterby]

824. Southern Red Bishop Euplectes orix



© Pumbaa

© Pumbaa

© Flutterby

© Flutterby

© Flutterby
Female

© Amoli

© Amoli

© Pumbaa

© Pumbaa

© Pumbaa
KNP, Ratelpan hide, February 2020

Links:
http://sabap2.adu.org.za/docs/sabap1/824.pdf
http://sabap2.adu.org.za/spp_summary.ph ... &section=3
http://www.oiseaux-birds.com/card-south ... ishop.html
Weaver Wednesday: Southern Red Bishop

[nan]

827. Yellow Bishop (formerly known as Yellow-rumped Widow) Euplectes capensis (Kaapse Flap)
Order: Passeriformes. Family: Ploceidae

Yellow Bishop.jpg (38.7 KiB) Viewed 1185 times

Description
Size 15 cm.
The breeding male is black apart from his bright yellow lower back, rump, and shoulder patches, and brown edging to the wing feathers. He has a short crest, thick conical black bill, and a relatively short tail. His bill size varies dramatically between races.
In non-breeding plumage, the black plumage is replaced by heavily streaked buffy-brown above, and is pale below. The bill is pale. Some show a white lower mandible. Breast and flanks are heavily streaked with brown. The yellow shoulders and rump remain, and are a distinction from the female which lacks the contrasting colour patches.
Juvenile resembles female.
Similar species: It differs from the Yellow-crowned Bishop in being larger and having a black head.
In comparison with Yellow-mantled Widowbird, breeding male has a much shorter tail, and a yellow rump and lower back (not a yellow mantle). The juveniles and females are notoriously difficult to identify in the field, appearing identical to the juveniles and females of several other bishops and widowbirds as well as some seadeaters. Female differs from female Yellow-mantled Widowbird (in Zimbabwe) in being more heavily streaked below and having a dull yellow rump.

Distribution
Although it occurs in areas of Ethiopia and Nigeria, the bulk of its population extends from Uganda and southern DRC though Tanzania, Angola and Zambia to southern Africa. Here it is fairly common in north-central Mozambique, Zimbabwe and in South Africa along the Escarpment, through Lesotho and the Eastern Cape to the Western Cape. It ranges from Namaqualand on the west coast, southwards through the Cape fold mountains and the coastal belt, and eastwards broadly along the line of the escarpment through the eastern Cape Province, Transkei, Lesotho, KwaZulu-Natal, Swaziland and the Transvaal. It is absent from the northern and central Cape Province, and from most of the Free State.

Habitat
Damp grassy areas, bracken-covered mountain valleys, and fynbos.

Diet
It eats seeds supplemented with insects, doing most of its foraging on the ground and in patches of grass.

Breeding
Polygynous solitary nester, as it may mate with at least 3-4 females in a breeding season, defending his territory with multiple nests against intruders, such as other Euplectes species. The male builds the nest, which is a domed structure with a side entrance, made of woven strips of grass and lined by the female with grass seed heads, which may project out of the entrance to form an untidy hood. It is typically concealed in a dense grass tuft or shrub, the leaves of which are often incorporated into the nest. Egg-laying season is mainly from December-April in summer rainfall areas, and from August-October in places with winter rainfall. It lays 2-4 eggs, which are incubated solely by the female for about 15-16 days. The chicks are fed by the female only, leaving the nest after about 16-20 days.

Call
Calls include a zeet, zeet, zeet and a harsh zzzzzzzzzt, given by male in flight. Listen to Bird Call.

Status
Common resident.

[nan]

827. Yellow Bishop Euplectes capensis


Breeding male


Breeding male

© Duke


Links:
Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds
Sabap2
Weaver Watch: Yellow Bishop Euplectes capensis

[Amoli]

828. Fan-tailed Widowbird Euplectes axillaris (Kortstertflap)
Order: Passeriformes. Family: Ploceidae

Description
Length 15-17 cm. A short-tailed widowbird. Breeding male is the only small, short-tailed widowbird with a red shoulder.
Breeding male: Black with a pale blue-grey bill, red 'shoulders' and buff greater wing-coverts. The tail is fanned only in display.
Non-breeding male: Brown, dull with heavy blackish streaking above, a dark crown, conspicuous pale supercilium, red shoulder patches, and black primaries.
The female is similar but has brown primaries, and duller shoulder. Brown with blackish streaking above and reddish 'shoulders'.
Juvenile resembles female.
All ages and sexes have a distinguishing cinnamon underwing.

Subspecies
Five subspecies of the Fan-tailed Widowbird are recognised:
E. a. axillaris in the lowlands of Malawi, through Mozambique, to eastern South Africa.
E. a. bocagei in West Africa from Mali south to Angola, Zambia, Caprivi area in Namibia, Okavango swamps in Botswana and NW Zimbabwe. This race has a large bill, and the breeding male has orange-yellow shoulder patches above cinnamon coverts, making a broader epaulet than in other subspecies.
E. a. phoeniceus in South Sudan through East Africa to NE Zambia and Malawi. The breeding male has orange (not red) lesser coverts.
E. a. traversii in the Ethiopian highlands. This race is similar to phoeniceus but the breeding male has a proportionately longer tail, and the alula is usually cinnamon-brown.
E. a. zanzibaricus along the coast from Somalia to Tanzania including Zanzibar and Pemba. This race is also similar to phoeniceus but the breeding male has a heavy bill and dark spots on the cinnamon wing-coverts.

Distribution
Although it occupies small patches in West Africa, the bulk of its population occurs from Ethiopia through Tanzania, Zambia and Angola to southern Africa. Here it is fairly common in northern Botswana and the Caprivi Stip (Namibia), as well as from central Mozambique through to eastern and south-eastern South Africa.

Habitat
It generally prefers tall moist grassland and swamp edges, but at the coast also occurs in dry savanna and cultivation including sugarcane fields. It is gregarious, forming large post-breeding flocks. It roosts and feeds with other weavers.

Diet
It mainly eats grass seeds taken from the ground or directly from plants, occasionally foraging for insects. The following food items have been recorded in its diet: Grass seeds (Digitaria velutina Finger grass; Panicum maximum Guinea grass; Paspalum dilatatum Common paspalum; Echinochloa colona Jungle rice), insects (larval stage of Lepidoptera and termites).

Breeding
Polygynous solitary nester, as each male can mate with up to 4 females in a breeding season, defending a territory with up to 8 nests against other Euplectes species. It is thought the males with the largest and brightest shoulders (actually known as epaulets) are the most successful at setting up territories. The nest is built by the male and consists of an oval ball with a side entrance, made of woven grass strips and lined by the female with grass seed heads. It is typically placed in a clump of grass in marshy ground or in rank vegetation between sugar cane fields. Egg-laying season is from October-March, peaking from November-January. It lay 2-3 eggs, which are incubated solely by the female for about 12-13 days. The chicks are fed by the female only, leaving the nest after about 15-16 days, and remaining dependent on their mother for food for about two more weeks.

Call
Male utters a husky tseek, wirra, wirra, wirra, wirra when displaying. Listen to Bird Call.

Status
Common resident. Not threatened.

[Amoli]

828. Fan-tailed Widowbird Euplectes axillaris



© Duke

Links:
http://sabap2.adu.org.za/docs/sabap1/828.pdf
http://sabap2.adu.org.za/spp_summary.php?Spp=816
Weaver Wednesday: Fan-tailed Widowbird