WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY - Southern Red Bishop in South Africa

While staying at my friends’ home in Johannesburg, South Africa, I discovered that if I walked out of the gated area and into another one opposite where they lived, there was an enormous park with a river and lake in it.  This is where I saw these Southern Red Bishops. They were just getting their breeding plumage and hard to photograph in the reeds.  This was at the end of my time in S. Africa and you can see they have more of their breeding plumage than I showed you before at the beginning of my stay there.  Once again, fortunately I put this in draft as I still have no laptop.  How long can I go on like this!

Southern Red Bishop

12 cm

Breeding male is black and red. Told from male Black-winged Bishop by its black (not red) fore crown and brown (not black) flight feathers; latter difference retained year-round. Non-br. male and female have a broad, buffy supercilium, finely streaked breast and brownish bill. 

These birds in the transitional plumage.

Voice

Advertising males give buzzing, chirping song; also ‘cheet-cheet' flight call and nasal ‘wheet' contact call. 

Common, flock-feeding resident and local nomad in grassland, savanna and fields. Usually roosts and breeds in reed beds.

i hope you ejoyed seeing this lovely little bird.

I am linking this post with WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY.

Thanks for your visit and also to all those who  leave me comments.