About Euplectes hordeaceus (Linnaeus, 1758)
The black-winged red bishop (scientific name Euplectes hordeaceus (Linnaeus, 1758)) is a stocky bird measuring 13–15 cm (5.1–5.9 in) in length. Breeding males are primarily scarlet, with black coloring on the face, belly and wings, and a brown tail. Their thick, conical bill is black. Breeding males display prominently: they sing high-pitched twitters from tall grass, puff out their feathers, or perform a slow hovering display flight. Non-breeding males are yellow-brown, with streaked upperparts that shade to whitish on the underparts, and have a whitish supercilium. They resemble non-breeding male northern red bishops, but are darker and have black wings. Females have similar coloring to non-breeding males, but are paler. Young birds have wider pale fringes on their flight feathers. This common weaver species lives in a range of open habitats, especially tall grassland, and is often found near water. It builds a spherical woven nest in tall grass, and lays 2 to 4 eggs per clutch. It is a gregarious species that feeds on seed, grain, and some insects.
