- Granatina ianthinogaster
Identification
13.3 cm
Male
- Cinnamon head and neck
- Blue eyepatch
- Purple-blue rump
- Underparts violet-blue with rufous patches
Female smaller
- Underparts cinnamon brown with white barring
- Silver-blue eyepatch
Both adults have red bills
Juveniles: similar to females but lack the barring on the underparts and have a red-brown bill.
All birds have a black tail.
Distribution
Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda.
Taxonomy
This species is either monotypic[1] or has five subspecies (depending on which authority): ianthinogaster, ugandae, roosevelti, hawkeri, and rothschildi[2]
Some authorities place this species in genus Uraeginthus.
Habitat
Subtropical and tropical (lowland) dry and semi-arid grassland.
Behaviour
Hard to see.
Diet
They forage in undergrowth for grass seeds and those of herbaceous plants.
Breeding
The nest is built by the males, of grass stems and panicles, in a low bush or tree. The clutch consists of 3-5 white eggs. Both parents incubate for 13 days and the young fledge after 20 days.
Vocalisation
Song: (described from Kenyan birds) is a high, thin chit-cheet tsereea-ee-ee tsit-tsit, or cheerer cheet tsee-tsee sur-chit.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2017. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2017, with updates to August 2017. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Avibase
- twearth.com
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Purple Grenadier. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 30 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Purple_Grenadier
