General

Orange Bishop: Small weaver finch with bright orange-red body and black belly. Head has black crown, face, and bill. Wings are brown. Orange-red uppertail coverts are very long and extend over short, brown tail. Nonbreeding male, female, and juvenile have brown-streaked upperparts, pale yellow throats, brown-streaked yellow sides, white underparts, and pink-gray bills.

Range and Habitat

Orange Bishop: Native to northwest and eastern Africa; introduced to and established in Puerto Rico and Bermuda. Inhabits open savanna with tall shrubs and trees.

Breeding and Nesting

Orange Bishop: Three to five white eggs are laid in a neat suspended globe nest made of long grass and built in a shrub close to the ground. Eggs are incubated for 25 days by the female.

Foraging and Feeding

Orange Bishop: Feeds on green and ripe seeds of grass and small brush. Forages on the ground or by hanging from seed heads of grass and plant stems; also feeds on new leaves and flowers of small shrubs.

Vocalization

Orange Bishop: Song is a harsh, metallic trilling.

Similar Species

Orange Bishop: None in range.