Euplectes ardens
SUBFAMILY
Ploceinae
TAXONOMY
Fringilla ardens Boddaert, 1783, Cape of Good Hope.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
English: Red-collared widow; French: Veuve noire; German: Schildwida; Spanish: Obispo de Collar Rojo.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
5.1 in (13 cm), with long tail 9.8–11.8 in (25–30 cm); female 0.6–0.7 oz (16–21 g), male 0.7–0.9 oz (20–25 g). Breeding male black with long tail, red collar on upper breast, or red on head and breast; some populations wholly black. Bill black. Female brown with dark streaking above, yellowish eyebrow, underparts buffy and unstreaked; bill brown. Non-breeding adult male like female, but retains black wing feathers. Juvenile with feathers of upperparts broadly edged buff.
DISTRIBUTION
Guinea east to Ethiopia, south to Angola and through Zambia to eastern Zimbabwe and eastern South Africa.
HABITAT
Open or bushed grassland, cultivated areas; also highland grasslands from 4,900–9,850 ft (1,500–3,000 m).
BEHAVIOR
Gregarious, forming large roosts even during breeding season, feeding in flocks of 200 birds or more. Often associated with other Euplectes.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Takes mainly seeds and insects, which may be hawked in the air; rarely berries, nectar.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Territorial, polygynous, with males well-dispersed. Nest in tall grass, a woven ball with side entrance. Frame started by male, most building done by female. Breeding follows spring or summer rains. Lays two to three eggs; incubation 12–15 days, fledging 14–17 days. Female alone incubates and feeds young.
CONSERVATION STATUS
Not threatened; widespread in lowlands, but distinctive montane populations have restricted range.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
None known.
