Orange weaver
species of bird
The orange weaver (Ploceus aurantius) is a species of bird in the weaver family, Ploceidae. It is sparsely distributed across African tropical rainforest.
Taxonomy and systematics
Subspecies
There are two subspecies recognized:
Ploceus aurantius aurantius - (Vieillot, 1805): Found from Sierra Leone to Democratic Republic of the Congo, and south to Angola
Ploceus aurantius rex - Neumann, 1908: Found in Uganda, western Kenya and north-western Tanzania
Description
The orange weaver can reach a length of about 12.5 centimetres (4.9 in), including the tail. These birds exhibit sexual dimorphism, and plumage also varies seasonally. During breeding or "nuptial" season, the male has a black beak, a small patch of black skin in front and behind the eyes (making the eyes look oval in shape), and brown wings. The rest of the plumage is a brilliant red to orange in color. Bill is pale and slender, while eyes are reddish-brown or pale grey.
Outside of breeding season, the males sport plumage that is considerably more drab, brown overall with some dark streaks and a cream-colored belly. The females have the same plumage year-round, which resembles that of the off-season males. The males of this species are often confused with males of the species Euplectes orix, commonly known as the southern red bishop.
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This entry incorporates text from “Orange weaver” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.