From Opus

Alternative name: Southern Red Bishop

Photo by Mybs
Male and female. Location: Plattekloof Hill, near Cape Town

Euplectes orix

[edit] Identification

13-15 cm. The male is scarlet when breeding, with a black head and waistcoat; his wings and tail are brown. The bill is conical, thick and black. The non-breeding male is pale yellow-brown with a buff supercilium. Females are similar, but smaller. Young birds have wider pale fringes on their flight feathers.

Its call is a thin tsip.

[edit] Distribution

Africa south of the Sahara Desert.
Introduced populations exist, eg. in Andalucia (Spain).

[edit] Taxonomy

Euplectes orix has three subspecies:¹

• E. o. nigrifrons

• Eastern Zaire to Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi and Mozambique

• E. o. orix

• Southern Angola to Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique and Northern Cape Province

• E. o. sundevalli

• Zimbabwe to southern Mozambique and north-eastern South Africa

[edit] Habitat

Open country, tall grassland, near water.

[edit] Behaviour

Its nest is spherical and woven, and is situated in tall grass. It lays 2 - 4 eggs. It feeds on seed, grain and some insects.

[edit] References

1. Clements JF. 2007. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to October 2007. Cornell University Press. ISBN 9780801445019

[edit] External Links