A BEAUTIFUL BISHOP PAINTING AFRICAN WILDERNESS RED

Northern red bishop perchrd on thorn Acacia tree

The African wilderness if fulloutstanding worldly wonders and quite often while on game viewing safari insearch of the most preferred wildlife species tourists get caught unawares and overwhelmed by unexpected discoveries they make. There is a very vibrant wildlife in Africa and not merely Mountain gorillas, lions, rhinos and other large mammals per se.  Just get the basic facts about the Northern Red bishop aka Franciscan Bishop aka West Nile Red Bishop; an averagely small bird by any margin but oozing beauty and equally interesting facts.

The Northern Red bishop is naturally an African grassland species of bird from the finch’s family inhabiting a belt of tropical grasslands south of the Sahara desert but north of the equator line. The bishops feed on plant seeds, grains, insects and plants that are largely abundant in plain grassland Because of its stunningly attractive plumage it was introduced to United States of America and is spreading wide in California, Los Angeles, Texas, Jamaica, Virgin Island, Japan and some other nearby environment.

Breeding male bishops are purely red in color save for head, waist and tails. Non breeding males are dull yellow tending towards white on the edges of plumage. The mature bishops averagely 13-15 cm length from head to tail are generally small in size but highly social birds that breed and nest and in colonies while they also foliage in flocks with other weaver species.

Mature male bishops make several beautiful round shaped nests widely seen on safaris in Uganda, on edges between tall grasses or in between branches of low trees twisting grasses and other plant materials while at the same time making erotic displays; fluffing their brightly colored feathers and romantic flights to attract attention of flocks of female suitors. As soon as he identifies his favorite targets he abandons the rest of the female flock and concentrates on selected few with whom he mates in cycles. Meanwhile each female monopolizes the nest it has acquired by marking it with feathers and other loose plant material as a sign of repelling rivals. Each female partner lays 2-4 eggs that both male and female roost simultaneously and after averagely 14 days of incubation may yield a lone clutch or two in favorable conditions. Within 18-20 days after hatching the young ones are able to leap out of nests on their own and live independently of others by 3 weeks. On average Northern red bishops have a lifespan of 12 years.  

Breeding Northern red bishop

Travelers on African wildlife safaris have high expectations of what to see basing on what is in print media and what see in social media. However, the process of getting to the desired destinations, the means of transport used and what happens in between before seeing what they already aware of matter much in the same way as the attractions. A safari guidewho is very conversant with wildlife events and the conditions on the grounds, quite often makes the safari very exciting and many times exceeding the tourists’ expectations.