Grey-headed silverbill
| Grey-headed silverbill | |
|---|---|
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Estrildidae |
| Genus: | Odontospiza Oberholser, 1905 |
| Species: | O. caniceps |
| Binomial name | |
| Odontospiza caniceps (Reichenow, 1847) | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Odontospiza griseicapilla | |
The grey-headed silverbill (Odontospiza caniceps), also known as pearl-headed mannikin, is a species of estrildid finch found in eastern Africa, Ethiopia, Kenya, South Sudan, and Tanzania. It has an estimated global extent of occurrence of 400,000 km². It is now usually placed in the monotypic genus Odontospiza as Odontospiza caniceps. It is sometimes placed in the genus Lonchura.
Characteristics
Identification
The grey-headed silverbill is a stocky bird with a grey head studded with white dots. Its body is greyish-brown with partly black wings and tail and a white rump. The juvenile can be told by its white rump.
Adult male is approximately 11.5 cm in length with wing length 6.5 cm.
Habitat
The grey-headed silverbill is commonly found in dry savanna habitat but never too far away from water.
Behavior
The grey-headed silverbill is gregarious, moving in small flocks and often mixing with African silverbill.
Food
The grey-headed silverbill feeds mostly on grass seeds. But it has been suggested that the species also feed on insects which are more a source of moisture than dry seeds.
Movement
The grey-headed silverbill wanders widely, influenced by weather and shifting availability of sources of water.
Origin
Origin and phylogeny has been obtained by Antonio Arnaiz-Villena et al.[2] Estrildinae may have originated in India and dispersed thereafter (towards Africa and Pacific Ocean habitats).
References
- ↑ BirdLife International (2012). "Odontospiza griseicapilla". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
- ↑ Arnaiz-Villena, A; Ruiz-del-Valle V; Gomez-Prieto P; Reguera R; Parga-Lozano C; Serrano-Vela I (2009). "Estrildinae Finches (Aves, Passeriformes) from Africa, South Asia and Australia: a Molecular Phylogeographic Study" (PDF). The Open Ornithology Journal. 2: 29–36. doi:10.2174/1874453200902010029.
- BirdLife Species Factsheet
- Munias and Mannikins by Robin Restall, ISBN 1-873403-51-8
External links
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