Village Indigobird
Vidua chalybeata
Nest parasite that lays its eggs in the nests of Red-billed and Brown firefinches. Breeding males are glossy black, while females and non-breeding males are streaky and brown on the back and pale below, with a bold facial pattern. The color of the bill is red in southeast Africa and whitish in western, northern, and central Africa. Found in savanna, scrub, farmland, and towns. Mimics the vocalizations of its host firefinches: low rattling series and high-pitched whistled notes. In southeast Africa, can be separated from other indigobirds by its red bill. Very similar to other indigobirds elsewhere on the continent. Breeding males can be separated by their all-black wings that lack a pale brownish panel. The mimicked vocalizations of its host species can also help confirm identification. In non-breeding plumage, similar to non-breeding Pin-tailed Whydah but separated by red legs.
识别特征
The village indigobird is 11–12 cm in length. The adult male is entirely greenish-black or bluish-black except for his orange-red legs and conical white bill. The female resembles a female house sparrow, with streaked brown upperparts, buff underparts, a whitish supercilium and a yellowish bill, although she also has red legs. Immature birds are like the female but plainer and without a supercilium.<p>Many of the indigobirds are very similar in appearance, with the males difficult to separate in the field, and the young and females near impossible. Helpful pointers with the village indigobird are the association with its host species, the red-billed firefinch, and its presence near human habitation.
分类信息
- 学名
- Vidua chalybeata
- 命名信息
- (Müller, PLS, 1776)
- 目
- Passeriformes
- 科
- Viduidae
- 属
- Vidua
分布与栖息地
It is a resident breeding bird in most of Africa south of the Sahara Desert. This indigobird is found in many open habitats including open woodland, scrub and cultivation, but, as its name implies, it is most readily seen near villages.
- 迁徙
- Resident species
行为
The male village indigobird is territorial, and he has an elaborate courtship flight display. The song is given from a high perch, and consists of rapid sputtering and churring intermingled with mimicry of red-billed firefinch's song, especially the characteristic chick-pea-pea-pea.<p>The diet of this species consists of seeds and grain.
保护状况
- 种群趋势
- stable
照片
分布
鸟叫声
其他鸟类
Gilded Hummingbird
Hylocharis chrysura
Medium-sized hummingbird with a long, straight bill which is red with a black tip. Deceptively dull-looking, but in the right light has a golden-green back and breast and a bronze tail. Both sexes are similar. Found at forest edges, in light woodlands, plantations, and at feeders.
Double-banded Graytail
Xenerpestes minlosi
Rare but distinctive if seen well. Small bird that is dingy gray above and off-white below with bold white wingbars and a white eyebrow. Actively forages by hitching along branches, often hanging upside-down. Most often seen singly or in pairs in mixed-species flocks, typically in the canopy. Listen for a strange rapid insect-like trill. Occurs in humid lowland forests and edges from eastern Panama to northwest Ecuador.
Streaked Barwing
Actinodura souliei
Rusty brown with a silvery gray head and thick black streaks all over the body. Relatively short-tailed for a barwing. Uncommon to rare inhabitant of mid- to high-altitude moist evergreen forests. Social; frequently found in small flocks and as a part of mixed species flocks. Gives a somewhat nasal “kyow-kyow-kyow-kyow.”
开始您的观鸟之旅
在户外识别鸟类，并在下一次观察时随手查阅鸟类图鉴。