- Uraeginthus bengalus
Identification
12–13 cm
Male
- Brown upperparts
- Yellow belly
- Pale blue breast, flanks and tail
- Red patch
'Females are similar but duller, and lack the cheek spot.
Immatures: similar to the female, but with blue restricted to the face and throat.
Distribution
Sub Saharan Africa:
Western Africa: Mauritania, Senegambia, Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Mali, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Togo, Nigeria, Niger, Niger, Chad, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola
Eastern Africa: Sudan, South Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Zambia and Mozambique
Southern Africa: occurs only in Zimbabwe
The species has been introduced to Hawaii, the Lesser Antilles, the Windward Islands, and the Azores.
Taxonomy
Subspecies
There are four subspecies:[1]
- U. b. bengalus
- U. b. brunneigularis
- U. b. ugogoensis
- U. b. katangae
Habitat
Open grassy areas, woods, fields, gardens and near habitation.
Behaviour
Diet
Ground feeders; their diet includes small grass seeds and grain.
Breeding
They build a dome shaped nest of grass, with a side entrance, in trees. The clutch consists of 4-5 white eggs.
Vocalisation
Call: a thin tsee-tsee.
Song: a wit-sit-diddley-diddley-ee-ee.
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
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved November 2014)
- Wikipedia
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 28 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Red-cheeked_Cordon-bleu
External Links
