Velvetwida

Velvetwida
	Samtwida, male ( Euplectes capensis )
Systematics
Order :	Passerines (Passeriformes)
Subordination :	Songbirds (passeri)
Family :	Weaver birds (Ploceidae)
Subfamily :	Ploceinae
Genre :	Fire weaver ( Euplectes )
Type :	Velvetwida
Scientific name
	Euplectes capensis
	( Linnaeus , 1766)

The velvet weaver or Samtwida ( Euplectes capensis ) belongs within the family of weaver birds (Ploceidae) to the genus of fire weavers ( Euplectes ).

Samtwida, male in plain dress

features

The velvet weaver is rather stocky, short-tailed, about 15 cm tall and weighs 24–37 g, the female is somewhat lighter. The bird has a powerful conical beak, black eyes, and dark legs. The male has light yellow on the shoulders and rump, is black in the splendid dress . In a simple dress he is ocher-colored like the female, with light stripes over the eyes, blackish, ocher-colored stripes on the top. The young bird is brown and more striped.

distribution and habitat

In the northern regions mainly found in higher grasslands, mostly at altitudes between 1400 and 2300 m, in east Africa up to 3200 m.

The following subspecies can be distinguished:

E. c. phoenicomerus G. R. Gray , 1862 - Highlands of Nigeria and Cameroon and Bioko
E. c. xanthomelas Rüppell , 1840 - Highlands of Ethiopia
E. c. crassirostris ( Ogilvie-Grant , 1907) - Southeast Sudan , west and east Uganda , eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo , Rwanda and Burundi , Kenya , Tanzania to Zambia , Malawi , Zimbabwe , north-east South Africa and Mozambique
E. c. angolensis Ninety , 1928 - Highlands of Angola
E. c. capensis ( Linnaeus , 1766) - South Africa, Knysna region to Cape of Good Hope
E. c. approximans ( Cabanis , 1851) - South Africa, Knysna region to Gauteng , Swaziland and Lesotho

nutrition

Samtwida feed on seeds, mainly grass seeds, but also corn , oryza and millet .

Reproduction

The breeding season in Cameroon is in November, in Ethiopia between July and October.

Hazardous situation

The Samtwida is considered not to be endangered ( least concern ).

Individual evidence

↑ Avibase Euplectes capensis
^ ^A ^b T. Stevenson, J. Fanshawe: Birds of East Africa. Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi. Princeton University Press, 2002, ISBN 0-691-12665-8 .
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Handbook of the Birds of the World
↑ Euplectes capensis in the Red List of Threatened Species of IUCN 2016-3. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2016. Retrieved January 14, 2017.

Web links

Commons : Samtwida ( Euplectes capensis ) - collection of images, videos and audio files

[avibase-1] Avibase Euplectes capensis

[Stevenson-2] A ^b T. Stevenson, J. Fanshawe: Birds of East Africa. Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi. Princeton University Press, 2002, ISBN 0-691-12665-8 .

[HBW-3] Handbook of the Birds of the World

[4] Euplectes capensis in the Red List of Threatened Species of IUCN 2016-3. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2016. Retrieved January 14, 2017.