Whydahs and Indigobirds (Viduidae)
Village Indigobird (Vidua chalybeata) - HBW 15, p. 227
French: Combassou du Sénégal
German: Rotfußwitwe
Spanish: Viuda Senegalesa
Other common names: Common Indigobird, Indigofinch, Steel-blue/Village Widowfinch, Dull Blue-black Finch, Red-billed Firefinch Indigobird, Senegal Indigofinch/Combassou; Green Indigobird (chalybeata and neumanni); Purple Indigobird(!) (ultramarina); South African Indigobird (okavangoensis, centralis and amauropteryx); Zaire Indigobird (centralis)
Taxonomy: Fringilla chalybeata Statius Müller, 1776, Brazil; error = Senegal.
Formerly considered conspecific with V. wilsoni, V. nigeriae, V. camerunensis, V. funerea, V. purpurascens and V. codringtoni. These species differ, however, in breeding plumage of male, in bill and leg colours and, usually, in song, and in some cases also in nestling mouth pattern and colours; up to four species occur sympatrically, with no morphological evidence of interbreeding. Present species interbreeds with V. funerea in E DRCongo and with V. purpurascens in Tanzania. Races sometimes thought to form three groups, W & NC group .. View all taxonomy...
Taxonomy: Fringilla chalybeata Statius Müller, 1776, Brazil; error = Senegal.
Formerly considered conspecific with V. wilsoni, V. nigeriae, V. camerunensis, V. funerea, V. purpurascens and V. codringtoni. These species differ, however, in breeding plumage of male, in bill and leg colours and, usually, in song, and in some cases also in nestling mouth pattern and colours; up to four species occur sympatrically, with no morphological evidence of interbreeding. Present species interbreeds with V. funerea in E DRCongo and with V. purpurascens in Tanzania. Races sometimes thought to form three groups, W & NC group (nominate and neumanni), NE group (ultramarina), and C & S group (okavangoensis, centralis and amauropteryx), possibly representing three separate species. Race amauropteryx has in the past been treated as a distinct species, having a red bill, but in SW Zambia, NW Zimbabwe and N Botswana red-billed and white-billed individuals occur together in mixed populations having same songs and competing for same call-sites and breeding females. Races neumanni and centralis intergrade in NE Africa. Green-glossed birds in Senegal sometimes separated as race aenea, but occur together with blue and greenish-blue birds; proposed taxon incognita (from SE DRCongo) is regarded as a synonym of centralis. Six subspecies recognized.
Formerly considered conspecific with V. wilsoni, V. nigeriae, V. camerunensis, V. funerea, V. purpurascens and V. codringtoni. These species differ, however, in breeding plumage of male, in bill and leg colours and, usually, in song, and in some cases also in nestling mouth pattern and colours; up to four species occur sympatrically, with no morphological evidence of interbreeding. Present species interbreeds with V. funerea in E DRCongo and with V. purpurascens in Tanzania. Races sometimes thought to form three groups, W & NC group (nominate and neumanni), NE group (ultramarina), and C & S group (okavangoensis, centralis and amauropteryx), possibly representing three separate species. Race amauropteryx has in the past been treated as a distinct species, having a red bill, but in SW Zambia, NW Zimbabwe and N Botswana red-billed and white-billed individuals occur together in mixed populations having same songs and competing for same call-sites and breeding females. Races neumanni and centralis intergrade in NE Africa. Green-glossed birds in Senegal sometimes separated as race aenea, but occur together with blue and greenish-blue birds; proposed taxon incognita (from SE DRCongo) is regarded as a synonym of centralis. Six subspecies recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution:
- chalybeata ( Statius Müller, 1776) - S Mauritania and Senegambia E to C Mali (Mopti), S to N Sierra Leone and Guinea.
- neumanni ( Alexander, 1908) - E Mali and N Ivory Coast E to S Chad, N Central African Republic and Sudan.
- ultramarina ( J. F. Gmelin, 1789) - Ethiopia and N Eritrea.
- chalybeata ( Statius Müller, 1776) - S Mauritania and Senegambia E to C Mali (Mopti), S to N Sierra Leone and Guinea.
- neumanni ( Alexander, 1908) - E Mali and N Ivory Coast E to S Chad, N Central African Republic and Sudan.
- ultramarina ( J. F. Gmelin, 1789) - Ethiopia and N Eritrea.
- centralis ( Neunzig, 1928) - S & E DRCongo (Kasai, Katanga, and around lakes Albert, Edward, Kivu and Tanganyika) E to Uganda, inland Kenya and inland Tanzania.
- okavangoensis Payne, 1973 - W & S Angola, N Namibia, W Zambia (upper R Zambezi) and N Botswana.
- amauropteryx ( Sharpe, 1890) - coastal E Africa from S Somalia S to S Tanzania, Mozambique, and inland from S & E Zambia, Malawi and Zimbabwe (R Zambezi below Kazungula) S to N South Africa (S to North West Province, Free State, and N KwaZulu-Natal at Ndumu and Hluhluwe; also S Eastern Cape and Swaziland.
- Least Concern Enlarge map
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A pair feeding with two females Red-billed Firefinches, the species which they parasitize. Locality Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (ssp ultramarina)
Josep del Hoyo 23 November 2005 7 years ago 30 sec 4.5 -
A juvenile male looking around and preening. Locality Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, Uganda (ssp centralis)
Daniêl Jimenez 16 September 2010 2 years ago 37 sec 4.4 -
A pair feeding with several Red-billed Firefinches, the species which they parasitize Locality Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (ssp ultramarina)
Josep del Hoyo 23 November 2005 7 years ago 34 sec 4.4 -
A male in breeding plumage feeding on grain and calling. Locality Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (ssp ultramarina)
Josep del Hoyo 23 November 2005 7 years ago 35 sec 4.4 -
A male in breeding plumage and a female feeding on grain. Locality Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (ssp ultramarina)
Josep del Hoyo 23 November 2005 7 years ago 28 sec 4.2 -
A male in breeding plumage on a wooden structure, preening and calling Locality Paraa village, Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda (ssp centralis)
Josep del Hoyo 28 August 2006 6 years ago 30 sec 4.1
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A male in breeding plumage.
Locality Sudan (ssp neumanni)
mohammmmad alamin khogaly... 22 weeks ago 4.3 -
A female perched on a branch.
Locality Sabaki (Galana) River Delta, Kenya
Tadeusz Rosinski 25 January 2013 1 week ago ADDED LAST MONTH 4 -
A moulting male perched on a branch.
Locality Jemmu Valley, Ethiopia (ssp ultramarina)
David Beadle 7 February 2009 17 weeks ago 4 -
breeding male.
Locality Gunjur, Western Division, The Gambia (ssp chalybeata)
M P Goodey 1 October 2007 1 year ago 4 -
i
Locality Sudan
Mohamed Ismael 6 weeks ago 3.7 -
A male (with Red-billed Firefinch) foraging on the ground.
Locality Lake Langano (Wabe Shebelle) Hotel, Lake Langano, Oromia Region, Ethiopia (ssp ultramarina)
David Beadle 2 February 2009 17 weeks ago 3.6
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An individual singing. Locality Bekele Molla Hotel, Lake Langano, Oromia Region, Ethiopia
(ssp ultramarina)
Martin Kennewell 5 November 2010 19 weeks ago 5 -
A bird singing. Locality Bekele Molla Hotel, Lake Langano, Oromia Region, Ethiopia
(ssp ultramarina)
Martin Kennewell 5 November 2010 19 weeks ago 4 -
A male singing on a village. Locality Paraa Safari Lodge, Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda
(ssp centralis)
Josep del Hoyo 28 August 2006 20 weeks ago 3
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