Dusky Indigobird

Vidua funerea

Bushveld. Three almost identical species when breeding. When breeding, a variation between a whitish bill and reddish leg colours distinguish the species.(1) Red bill red leg; (2) whitish bill white leg; (3) Whiteish bill red leg.

Indigobirds

Not Endemic

Description

Common resident. Has whitish bill and reddish legs. Male has a grating song interspersed with the notes of [African Firefinch], which the female Parasitises. Male may bob up and down in front of the female calling a harsh ‘cha, cha’. Occurs mostly in moist savanna, around villages, near cultivation and at forest fringes; decidedly uncommon (as is its host) in drier bushveld regions.

Quick Facts

Bird Family

Brood parasites of firefinches and, in the case of the Zambezi Indigobird, the Red-throated Twinspot. They appear to be so strictly host-specific that their presence in a region is an indication of the presence of the species they parasitise. Breeding males are black with a blue, green or mauve iridescence. Non-breeding males resemble females. Immatures are more russet-brown, especially on the underparts; crowns unstreaked. Males are identified by bill and leg coloration plus song, which mimics that of the host.