Yellow bishop
Yellow bishop | |
---|---|
Male at Aberdare Range, Kenya | |
Conservation status | |
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1] | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Passeriformes |
Family: | Ploceidae |
Genus: | Euplectes |
Species: | E. capensis |
Binomial name | |
Euplectes capensis (Linnaeus, 1766) | |
Synonyms | |
Loxia capensis Linnaeus, 1766 |
The yellow bishop (Euplectes capensis), also known as Cape bishop, Cape widow[2] or yellow-rumped widow, is a resident breeding bird species in Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.[1]
This common weaver occurs in less arid vegetated areas, such as fynbos, moist grassland and bracken-covered valleys at altitudes from sea level to the Ethiopian highlands.
Taxonomy
In 1760, the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson included a description of the yellow bishop in his Ornithologie based on a specimen collected from the Cape of Good Hope. He used the French name Le pinçon du Cap de Bonne Espérance and the Latin Fringilla Capitis Bonae Spei.[3] Although Brisson coined Latin names, these do not conform to the binomial system and are not recognised by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature.[4] When in 1766 the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus updated his Systema Naturae for the twelfth edition, he added 240 species that had been previously described by Brisson.[4] One of these was the yellow bishop. Linnaeus included a brief description, coined the binomial name Loxia capensis and cited Brisson's work.[5] The specific name capensis denotes the Cape of Good Hope.[6] This species is now placed in the genus Euplectes that was introduced by the English naturalist William John Swainson in 1829 with the southern red bishop as the type species.[7] There are six subspecies.[8]
Description
The yellow bishop is a stocky 15 centimetres (5.9 in) long bird. 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.[9]
In non-breeding plumage, the black plumage is replaced by heavily streaked buffy-brown, and the bill is pale. The yellow shoulders and rump remain, and are a distinction from the female which lacks the contrasting colour patches. 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 seedeaters.
In the breeding season they are usually solitary or in pairs, but the non-breeding yellow bishop is gregarious, often forming flocks with other 'mixed euplectes'.
They feed on seed, grain and some insects.
Voice
Calls include zeet zeet zeet, and a harsh zzzzzzt given by the male in flight. The song of the isolated SW Cameroon phoenicomerus is quite different: a dry rattle followed by swit-err, swit-err.[9]
- Female in KwaZulu-Natal
- Non-breeding Male in Debre Berhan, Ethiopia
- Juveniles in Debre Berhan, Ethiopia
References
- ^ a b BirdLife International (2016). "Euplectes capensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T22719200A94617160. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22719200A94617160.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
- ^ "Euplectes capensis (Yellow bishop, Cape Bishop, Cape Widow, Yellow-rumped widow)". www.biodiversityexplorer.org. Archived from the original on 2010-10-04.
- ^ Brisson, Mathurin Jacques (1760). Ornithologie, ou, Méthode contenant la division des oiseaux en ordres, sections, genres, especes & leurs variétés (in French and Latin). Vol. 3. Paris: Jean-Baptiste Bauche. pp. 171–172, Plate 16 fig 1. The two stars (**) at the start of the section indicates that Brisson based his description on the examination of a specimen.
- ^ a b Allen, J.A. (1910). "Collation of Brisson's genera of birds with those of Linnaeus". Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. 28: 317–335. hdl:2246/678.
- ^ Linnaeus, Carl (1766). Systema naturae : per regna tria natura, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis (in Latin). Vol. 1, Part 1 (12th ed.). Holmiae (Stockholm): Laurentii Salvii. p. 306.
- ^ Jobling, J.A. (2018). del Hoyo, J.; Elliott, A.; Sargatal, J.; Christie, D.A.; de Juana, E. (eds.). "Key to Scientific Names in Ornithology". Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
- ^ Swainson, William John (1829). Zoological illustrations, or, Original figures and descriptions of new, rare, or interesting animals. 2nd series. Vol. 1. London: Baldwin, Cradock, and Joy; and W. Wood. Plate 37 text.
- ^ Gill, Frank; Donsker, David, eds. (2018). "Old World sparrows, snowfinches, weavers". World Bird List Version 8.1. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
- ^ a b Sinclair & Ryan 2003, p. 682
Cited texts
- Sinclair, Ian; Ryan, Peter (2003). Birds of Africa south of the Sahara. Cape Town: Struik.
Further reading
- Sinclair, Ian; Hockey, Phil; Tarboton, Warwick (2002). SASOL Birds of Southern Africa. Struik. ISBN 1-86872-721-1.
- Stevenson, Terry; Fanshaw, John (2002). A Field Guide to the Birds of East Africa.
External links
- Media related to Euplectes capensis at Wikimedia Commons
- Data related to Euplectes capensis at Wikispecies
- (Yellow bishop = ) Yellow-rumped widow - Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds
- v
- t
- e
- White-billed buffalo weaver (B. albirostris)
- Red-billed buffalo weaver (B. niger)
- White-headed buffalo weaver (D. dinemelli)
- Speckle-fronted weaver (S. frontalis)
- Scaly-feathered weaver (S. squamifrons)
- White-browed sparrow-weaver (P. mahali)
- Chestnut-crowned sparrow-weaver (P. superciliosus)
- Chestnut-backed sparrow-weaver (P. rufoscapulatus)
- Donaldson Smith's sparrow-weaver (P. donaldsoni)
- Rufous-tailed weaver (H. ruficauda)
- Grey-capped social weaver (P. arnaudi)
- Black-capped social weaver (P. cabanisi)
- Sociable weaver (P. socius)
- Compact weaver (P. superciliosus)
- Black-chinned weaver (P. nigrimentus)
- Baglafecht weaver (P. baglafecht)
- Bertram's weaver (P. bertrandi)
- Slender-billed weaver (P. pelzelni)
- Loango weaver (P. subpersonatus)
- Little weaver (P. luteolus)
- Lesser masked weaver (P. intermedius)
- Spectacled weaver (P. ocularis)
- Bannerman's weaver (P. bannermani)
- Bates's weaver (P. batesi)
- Black-necked weaver (P. nigricollis)
- Black-billed weaver (P. melanogaster)
- Strange weaver (P. alienus)
- Bocage's weaver (P. temporalis)
- Cape weaver (P. capensis)
- Eastern golden weaver (P. subaureus)
- Holub's golden weaver (P. xanthops)
- Príncipe weaver (Ploceus princeps)
- Orange weaver (P. aurantius)
- Golden palm weaver (P. bojeri)
- Taveta weaver (P. castaneiceps)
- Ruvu weaver (P. holoxanthus)
- Southern brown-throated weaver (P. xanthopterus)
- Northern brown-throated weaver (P. castanops)
- Kilombero weaver (P. burnieri)
- Rüppell's weaver or Rueppell's weaver (P. galbula)
- Heuglin's masked weaver (P. heuglini)
- Northern masked weaver (P. taeniopterus)
- Vitelline masked weaver (P. vitellinus)
- Southern masked weaver (P. velatus)
- Katanga masked weaver (P. katangae)
- Lufira masked weaver (P. ruweti)
- Tanzanian masked weaver (P. reichardi)
- Village weaver (P. cucullatus)
- Giant weaver (P. grandis)
- Speke's weaver (P. spekei)
- Fox's weaver (P. spekeoides)
- Vieillot's black weaver (P. nigerrimus)
- Weyns's weaver (P. weynsi)
- Clarke's weaver (P. golandi)
- Black-headed weaver (P. melanocephalus)
- Juba weaver (P. dichrocephalus)
- Golden-backed weaver (P. jacksoni)
- Cinnamon weaver (P. badius)
- Chestnut weaver (P. rubiginosus)
- Golden-naped weaver (P. aureonucha)
- Yellow-mantled weaver (P. tricolor)
- Maxwell's black weaver (P. albinucha)
- Nelicourvi weaver (P. nelicourvi)
- Sakalava weaver (P. sakalava)
- Streaked weaver (P. manyar)
- Baya weaver (P. philippinus)
- Asian golden weaver (P. hypoxanthus)
- Finn's weaver (P. megarhynchus)
- Black-breasted weaver (P. benghalensis)
- Dark-backed weaver (P. bicolor)
- Preuss's weaver (P. preussi)
- Yellow-capped weaver (P. dorsomaculatus)
- Usambara weaver (P. nicolli)
- Olive-headed weaver (P. olivaceiceps)
- Brown-capped weaver (P. insignis)
- Bar-winged weaver (P. angolensis)
- São Tomé weaver (P. sanctithomae)
- Yellow-legged weaver (P. flavipes)
- Compact weaver (P. superciliosus)
- Red-crowned malimbe (M. coronatus)
- Cassin's malimbe (M. cassini)
- Gola malimbe (M. ballmanni)
- Rachel's malimbe (M. racheliae)
- Red-vented malimbe (M. scutatus)
- Ibadan malimbe (M. ibadanensis)
- Red-bellied malimbe (M. erythrogaster)
- Blue-billed malimbe (M. nitens)
- Crested malimbe (M. malimbicus)
- Red-headed malimbe (M. rubricollis)
- Red-headed weaver (A. rubriceps)
- Bob-tailed weaver (B. anomala)
- Cardinal quelea (Q. cardinalis)
- Red-headed quelea (Q. erythrops)
- Red-billed quelea (Q. quelea)
- Red fody (F. madagascariensis)
- Comoros fody (F. eminentissima)
- Aldabra fody, (F. aldabrana)
- Forest fody (F. omissa)
- Mauritius fody (F. rubra)
- Seychelles fody (F. sechellarum)
- Rodrigues fody (F. flavicans)
- Yellow-crowned bishop (E. afer)
- Fire-fronted bishop (E. diadematus)
- Black bishop (E. gierowii)
- Black-winged red bishop (E. hordeaceus)
- Northern red bishop or orange bishop (E. franciscanus)
- Southern red bishop or red bishop (E. orix)
- Zanzibar red bishop (E. nigroventris)
- Golden-backed bishop (E. aureus)
- Yellow bishop (E. capensis)
- Fan-tailed widowbird (E. axillaris)
- Yellow-mantled widowbird (E. macroura)
- White-winged widowbird (E. albonotatus)
- Red-collared widowbird (E. ardens)
- Marsh widowbird (E. hartlaubi)
- Montane widowbird (E. psammacromius)
- Long-tailed widowbird (E. progne)
- Jackson's widowbird (E. jacksoni)
- Thick-billed weaver (A. albifrons)