WEAVERS - BIRD OF THE MONTH - JUNE & JULY 2014*

[Tina]

long-tailed widowbird



breeding male



transitional male

N14 October 2013

[Toko]

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.

[BluTuna]

Red Bishops

[Flutterby]

Southern Red Bishop, Pilanesberg

[Lisbeth]

Red Bishop - Addo Elephant Park

[Lisbeth]

Southern Red Bishop - Addo

[Amoli]

Time to add some more..

Southern Red Bishop





female

[ExFmem]

From our recent Kruger trip



3. Southern Masked Weaver?

Same goes for no. 3 - masked weaver as you said.

3. Southern Masked Weaver?

Yes!
Mask covering the lower forehead, brown legs and red eyes.

4. Village Weaver (juv.) ?

4. Village Weaver (juv.) ?

Must be a village weaver, but most likely a male moulting to or from breeding colours.

5. Village vs. S.Masked Weaver?

No. 5 of them is a Southern Masked. The colour of the front head makes me think so. For now the only real difference from that (photo) perspective to the village weaver.

5. Village vs. S.Masked Weaver?

Southern masked weaver! The mask is above the bill and also the orange colour does not occur on the village weaver.........I think

6. ?? (too many yellow birds in S Africa)

6. ?? (too many yellow birds in S Africa

Lesser masked weaver; it has a white eye. The legs should be grey, but it is difficult to see because of the ring

Lis is correct about the lesser masked weaver. Colouring matches as well as the eye

[All-Nature]

Cape Weaver taken in Addo during May

[harrys]

Hi there

Please help with id - KTP

Scaly-feathered finch.