Cardinal weaver
| Cardinal weaver | ||||||||||||
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Cardinal weaver ( Quelea cardinalis ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Quelea cardinalis | ||||||||||||
| ( Hartlaub , 1880) |
The cardinal weaver ( Quelea cardinalis ) is an African species from the family of weaver birds (Ploceidae). Outside the breeding season, the cardinal weaver can often be seen in large schools. It is occasionally kept as an ornamental bird in Europe.
description
The cardinal weaver reaches a body length of 11 centimeters and is therefore one of the smaller weaver birds. The forehead and chest are purple. The rest of the plumage is brown and has yellowish dots on the upper side of the body. The underside of the body is whitish yellow with brown spots. Females lack the red and have an overall paler plumage. Young birds are similar to females. The singing is a loud squeak and hiss. The young animals have a sparrow-like plumage.
distribution
The distribution area of the cardinal weaver extends from the south of Sudan to Tanzania and the east of Zambia .
Way of life
They mainly eat grass seeds and insects. During the breeding season, the males let out a loud gossiping, rattling or chirping voice. They usually move loudly in smaller groups through the grasslands and forests in search of food and water.
Reproduction
The nest is built from soft grass. It can be found between grasses and herbs or in the bushes. The clutch consists of two to three eggs that have a purple, pink or light blue shell and are darkly spotted. The incubation period is 14 days. Then the young remain in the nest for up to 24 days. They are fed with insects by the parent animals.
Danger
Since this species is still widespread and there are no known threats, the IUCN classifies it as Least Concern .
literature
- Horst Bielfeld: Knowing and caring for 300 ornamental birds , Ulmer Verlag, Stuttgart 2009, ISBN 978-3-8001-5737-2
- Christopher M. Perrins (Ed.): The FSVO encyclopedia birds of the world. Translated from the English by Einhard Bezzel. BLV, Munich / Vienna / Zurich 2004, ISBN 978-3-405-16682-3 , pp. 592-593 (title of the English original edition: The New Encyclopedia Of Birds. Oxford University Press, Oxford 2003).
Web links
- Quelea cardinalis inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Listed by: BirdLife International, 2012. Retrieved October 22, 2013.