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Unread postPosted: Thu Sep 20, 2007 6:30 pm 
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Location: Cornwall, UK
Can I have some help with this one please? Seen at Punda Maria last month.
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 Post subject:
Unread postPosted: Fri Sep 21, 2007 9:35 am 
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Paradise Whydah - which wouldn't show those yellowish brown underparts.
Pin-tailed Whydah - of which I'd expect the bill to be even redder and the belly to be whiter.
Shaft-tailed Whydah - of which the facial patterns are not nearly as clear as on this bird.
Dusky Indigobird - of which the underparts would not be yellow-brown.
Purple Indigobird - of which the underparts would not be yellow-brown.
Village Indigobird - The more I think about it the more confident I am that this is the right one.

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 Post subject: Indigobird: Village Indigobird
Unread postPosted: Tue Jul 15, 2008 9:48 am 
Village Indigobird (Vidua chalybeata)

Photo taken in Marloth Park

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More info from Wikipedia
Quote:
The Village Indigobird, Vidua chalybeata, is a small songbird. It is a resident breeding bird in most of Africa south of the Sahara Desert.

This indigobird is found in many open habitats including open woodland, scrub and cultivation, but, as its name implies, it is most readily seen near villages.

It is a brood parasite which lays its eggs in the nests of Red-billed Firefinches. Unlike the Common Cuckoo, it does not destroy the host's egg. Typically, 2-4 eggs are added to those already present. The eggs of both the host and the firefinch are white, although the indigobird's are slightly larger. The nestling indigobirds mimic the unique gape pattern of the fledglings of the host species.

The Village Indigobird is 11-12 cm in length. The adult male is entirely greenish-black except for his orange-red legs and conical white bill (East of Victory Falls the bill is red). The female resembles a female House Sparrow, with streaked brown upperparts, buff underparts, a whitish supercilium and a yellowish bill, although she also has red legs. Immature birds are like the female but plainer and without a supercilium.

Many of the indigobirds are very similar in appearance, with the males difficult to separate in the field, and the young and females near impossible. Helpful pointers with the Village Indigobird are the association with its host species, the Red-billed Firefinch, and its presence near human habitation.

The male Village Indigobird is territorial, and he has an elaborate courtship flight display. The song is given from a high perch, and consists of rapid sputtering and churring intermingled with mimicry of Red-billed Firefinch's song, especially the characteristic chick-pea-pea-pea.

The diet of this species consists of seeds and grain.


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 Post subject: Village Indigobird
Unread postPosted: Mon Sep 29, 2008 7:41 pm 
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KNP, many moons ago.


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 Post subject: Re: Identification Help - General Birds
Unread postPosted: Mon Sep 29, 2008 9:03 pm 
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female Village Indigobird


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 Post subject: Re: Identification Help - General Birds
Unread postPosted: Tue Sep 30, 2008 11:12 am 
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I think Village Indigobird aswel, Pintailed Whydahs seem to be much better marked, and Shaft-tailed I've never seen before :doh: :D

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 Post subject: Re: Indigobird: Village Indigobird
Unread postPosted: Sun Mar 22, 2009 1:01 pm 
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I went birding with the Cape Bird Club this morning at Zandvlei near Muizenberg. We saw this nondescript female something and were discussing it. :hmz: Then someone saw this black chapie with a red bill. I thought it was a seriously lost RB buffalo weaver, but it was not big enough. :naughty: Then I thought, indigobird, and it looked like the village indigobird, but that is way out of range. :doh: The nondescript female matched the one in the book :shock: and so did he :dance:

The nearest other I have seen to this were in Addo, between the main camp and the game gate.

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 Post subject: Re: Indigobird: Village Indigobird
Unread postPosted: Thu Apr 02, 2009 9:19 pm 
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Seen this week in Satara.
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 Post subject: Re: Indigobird: Village Indigobird
Unread postPosted: Mon Jan 14, 2013 7:44 am 
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