Purple Indigobird
Vidua purpurascens
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
LC
Not Endemic
Description
Fairly common resident. Male told by whitish or pale pink bill and legs, female by whitish bill and pink legs. Parasitises [Jameson’s Firefinch] and mimics the bell-like call-note of that species. Habits as for other indigobirds. It frequents thickets and rank grass in thornveld, plus riparian and old cultivated lands like its host. Much more common in dry bushveld regions than [Dusky Indigobird].
Quick Facts
Size
11 cm - S
Names
A: Witpootblouvinkie
G: Weißfuß-Atlaswitwe
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.
Distribution
Gallery
Behaviour
Breeding
Habitat
It frequents thickets and rank grass in thornveld, plus riparian and old cultivated lands like its host.
