Quailfinch Indigobird
Encyclopedia
The Quailfinch Indigobird, Vidua nigeriae, is a small songbird
. It is a resident breeding bird in The Gambia
, Nigeria
and Cameroon
. It occurs in isolated localities, especially on river flood plains.
It was formerly considered to be a subspecies
of the Variable Indigobird
, Vidua funerea.
It is a brood parasite
which lays its eggs in the nest of the African Quailfinch
, Ortygospiza atricollis, a slightly unusual host since it is only a distant relative to the firefinch
es parasitised by most indigobird
s. It does not destroy the host's egg, but its own eggs are added to those already present.
The adult male Quailfinch Indigobird has greenish-black plumage, and the female resembles a female House Sparrow
, with streaked brown upperparts, buff underparts and a whitish 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. A helpful pointer is the association with the host species, the Quailfinch.
The diet of this species consists of seeds and grain.
Songbird
A songbird is a bird belonging to the suborder Passeri of the perching birds . Another name that is sometimes seen as scientific or vernacular name is Oscines, from Latin oscen, "a songbird"...
. It is a resident breeding bird in The Gambia
The Gambia
The Republic of The Gambia, commonly referred to as The Gambia, or Gambia , is a country in West Africa. Gambia is the smallest country on mainland Africa, surrounded by Senegal except for a short coastline on the Atlantic Ocean in the west....
, Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
and Cameroon
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
. It occurs in isolated localities, especially on river flood plains.
It was formerly considered to be a subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
of the Variable Indigobird
Variable Indigobird
The Dusky Indigobird or Variable Indigobird is a species of bird in the Viduidae family. It is found in Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guinea-Bissau, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, and...
, Vidua funerea.
It is a brood parasite
Brood parasite
Brood parasites are organisms that use the strategy of brood parasitism, a kind of kleptoparasitism found among birds, fish or insects, involving the manipulation and use of host individuals either of the same or different species to raise the young of the brood-parasite...
which lays its eggs in the nest of the African Quailfinch
African Quailfinch
The Black-faced Quail-Finch , also known as the African Quail-Finch, is a common species of estrildid finch found in almost all parts of Africa except at far north of Africa...
, Ortygospiza atricollis, a slightly unusual host since it is only a distant relative to the firefinch
Firefinch
The firefinches are a genus of bird in the Estrildidae family.There are about 11 species:* Bar-breasted Firefinch, Lagonosticta rufopicta* Brown Firefinch, Lagonosticta nitidula...
es parasitised by most indigobird
Indigobird
The indigobirds and whydahs, are a family, Viduidae, of small passerine birds native to Africa.These are finch-like species which usually have black or indigo predominating in their plumage...
s. It does not destroy the host's egg, but its own eggs are added to those already present.
The adult male Quailfinch Indigobird has greenish-black plumage, and the female resembles a female House Sparrow
House Sparrow
The House Sparrow is a bird of the sparrow family Passeridae, found in most parts of the world. One of about 25 species in the genus Passer, the House Sparrow occurs naturally in most of Europe, the Mediterranean region, and much of Asia...
, with streaked brown upperparts, buff underparts and a whitish 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. A helpful pointer is the association with the host species, the Quailfinch.
The diet of this species consists of seeds and grain.