MyKrugerHoliday
Photo: Charles J. Sharp · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source ↗
Southern Red Bishop
Rooivink · Euplectes orix
A wetland weaver whose breeding male is unmistakable in vivid orange-red and black, puffing out his feathers and buzzing low over the reeds in display. Females and non-breeding males are streaky buff-brown and sparrow-like. Colonies nest in reedbeds and tall grass near water. After breeding the males moult into dull plumage and the bright colour vanishes.
Log your Southern Red Bishop sighting — free →How to identify it
Breeding male is flaming orange-red and black; drab streaky females and non-breeding males look like large sparrows.
Listen for its call
Buzzy swizzling display song as the puffed-up red male buzzes about.
Where to see it in Kruger
Resident in reedbeds and rank grass near water, breeding in colonies; males display low over the reeds in summer.
Did you know
In summer the male puffs out his fiery feathers into a fluffy ball and buzzes about like a tiny flying ember.
Often confused with
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