Euplectes hordeaceus
The Black-winged Red Bishop (Euplectes hordeaceus) is a captivating passerine belonging to the weaver family (Ploceidae), renowned for the male's spectacular breeding plumage. Measuring approximately 13-15 cm in length and weighing around 15-25 grams, the breeding male is almost entirely brilliant scarlet-red with contrasting jet-black wings, tail, and lower belly, creating an unmistakable and vibrant display. Females and non-breeding males, however, are far more cryptic, exhibiting a streaky...
Found in a variety of open and semi-open habitats, including tall grasslands, marshes, savannas, cultivated fields, and floodplains, typically at low to moderate elevations.
Primarily granivorous, feeding on grass seeds and cultivated grains; insects, particularly termites and caterpillars, are also consumed, especially during the breeding season.
Black-winged Red Bishops are diurnal and highly social outside the breeding season, forming large, sometimes mixed-species, flocks that roost communally in dense vegetation. Foraging primarily involves gleaning seeds from the ground or grass stems, but they will also opportunistically hawk insect...
The Black-winged Red Bishop is widely distributed across sub-Saharan Africa, occupying a broad band from West to East Africa and extending southwards. Its breeding range spans from Senegal and Gambia eastward through the Sahel and Guinea Savanna zones to Ethiopia and Eritrea, continuing south thr...
Least Concern
- The male Black-winged Red Bishop undergoes one of the most dramatic plumage transformations in the bird world, changing from a dull streaky brown to vibrant red and black for breeding. - Males are polygynous, meaning a single male will mate with multiple females, often having several nests in h...