Vidua codringtoni (Twinspot indigobird)

Groenblouvinkie [Afrikaans]; Codrington-atlasvink [Dutch]; Combassou de Codrington [French]; Nicolai-atlaswitwe [German]

Life > Eukaryotes > Opisthokonta > Metazoa (animals) > Bilateria > Deuterostomia > Chordata > Craniata > Vertebrata (vertebrates)  > Gnathostomata (jawed vertebrates) > Teleostomi (teleost fish) > Osteichthyes (bony fish) > Class: Sarcopterygii (lobe-finned fish) > Stegocephalia (terrestrial vertebrates) > Tetrapoda (four-legged vertebrates) > Reptiliomorpha > Amniota > Reptilia (reptiles) > Romeriida > Diapsida > Archosauromorpha > Archosauria > Dinosauria (dinosaurs) > Saurischia > Theropoda (bipedal predatory dinosaurs) > Coelurosauria > Maniraptora > Aves (birds) > Order: Passeriformes > Family: Viduidae

Distribution and habitat

Occurs in isolated patches of southern Tanzania, Zambia and Malawi, with a separate population in north-western and eastern Zimbabwe, extending into adjacent north-central Mozambique. It generally prefers edges of riverine and lowland evergreen forest and nearby thickets, also in rank vegetation in Acacia woodland.

Food 

It does most of its foraging on the ground, feeding on grass seeds.

Breeding

• Its breeding habits are not well known; it is a polygynous brood parasite, with males defending the territory surrounding a perch which it displays on. Its main host is Red-throated twinspot.
• It lays one egg daily in sets of three, taking a few days break in between sets.

Threats

Status unknown, but it is probably not threatened.

References

• Hockey PAR, Dean WRJ and Ryan PG 2005. Roberts - Birds of southern Africa, VIIth ed. The Trustees of the John Voelcker Bird Book Fund, Cape Town.