The village indigobird (''Vidua chalybeata''), also known as the steelblue widowfinch or (in U.S. aviculture) the Combassou finch, is a small

songbird A songbird is a bird belonging to the suborder Passeri of the perching birds (Passeriformes). Another name that is sometimes seen as the scientific or vernacular name is Oscines, from Latin ''oscen'', "songbird". The Passeriformes contains 500 ...

belonging to the family

Viduidae __NOTOC__ The indigobirds and whydahs, together with the cuckoo-finch, make up the family Viduidae; they are small passerine birds native to Africa. These are finch-like species which usually have black or indigo predominating in their plumage. ...

. It is distinguishable from other indigobird species by bill and leg colours, the colour tinge of the male's breeding plumage, song, and to lesser extent, the nestling's plumage and mouth pattern. The bill colour can be red or white depending on the population, and there is some regional variation in the colour tone of the male's plumage.

Distribution and habitat

It is a resident breeding bird in most of Africa south of the

Sahara Desert , photo = Sahara real color.jpg , photo_caption = The Sahara taken by Apollo 17 astronauts, 1972 , map = , map_image = , location = , country = , country1 = , ...

. This

indigobird __NOTOC__ The indigobirds and whydahs, together with the cuckoo-finch, make up the family Viduidae; they are small passerine birds native to Africa. These are finch-like species which usually have black or indigo predominating in their plumage. ...

is found in many open habitats including open woodland, scrub and cultivation, but, as its name implies, it is most readily seen near villages.

Cycle of life

It is a brood parasite which lays its eggs in the nests of

red-billed firefinch The red-billed firefinch or Senegal firefinch (''Lagonosticta senegala'') is a small seed-eating bird in the family Estrildidae. This is a resident breeding bird in most of Sub-Saharan Africa with an estimated global extent of occurrence of 10,00 ...

es. Unlike the

common cuckoo The common cuckoo (''Cuculus canorus'') is a member of the cuckoo order of birds, Cuculiformes, which includes the roadrunners, the anis and the coucals. This species is a widespread summer migrant to Europe and Asia, and winters in Africa. I ...

, it does not destroy the host's egg. Typically, 2-4 eggs are added to those already present. The eggs of both the host and the firefinch are white, although the indigobird's are slightly larger. The nestling indigobirds mimic the unique

gape The beak, bill, or rostrum is an external anatomical structure found mostly in birds, but also in turtles, non-avian dinosaurs and a few mammals. A beak is used for eating, preening, manipulating objects, killing prey, fighting, probing for food, ...

pattern of the fledglings of the host species.

Behavior

The male village indigobird is territorial, and he has an elaborate courtship flight display. The song is given from a high perch, and consists of rapid sputtering and churring intermingled with mimicry of red-billed firefinch's song, especially the characteristic ''chick-pea-pea-pea''. The diet of this species consists of seeds and grain.

Description

The village indigobird is 11–12 cm in length. The adult male is entirely greenish-black or bluish-black except for his orange-red legs and conical white bill. The female resembles a female

house sparrow The house sparrow (''Passer domesticus'') is a bird of the sparrow family Passeridae, found in most parts of the world. It is a small bird that has a typical length of and a mass of . Females and young birds are coloured pale brown and grey, a ...

, with streaked brown upperparts, buff underparts, a whitish supercilium and a yellowish bill, although she also has red legs. Immature birds are like the female but plainer and without a supercilium. Many of the indigobirds are very similar in appearance, with the males difficult to separate in the field, and the young and females near impossible. Helpful pointers with the village indigobird are the association with its host species, the red-billed firefinch, and its presence near human habitation.

Races

There are six accepted races: * ''V. c.'' subsp. ''chalybeata'' (Statius Müller, 1776) – West Africa: Senegambia to central Mali ::Description: Green, greenish-blue, or green-hued male plumage and white bills * ''V. c.'' subsp. ''neumanni'' (Alexander, 1908) – Mali to South Sudan * ''V. c.'' subsp. ''ultramarina'' (J. F. Gmelin, 1789) – Ethiopia and Eritrea * ''V. c.'' subsp. ''centralis'' (Neunzig, 1928) – DRC, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania * ''V. c.'' subsp. ''okavangoensis'' Payne, 1973 – western Angola to northern Botswana ::Description: Red and white-billed birds with blue-hued male plumage * ''V. c.'' subsp. ''amauropteryx'' (Sharpe, 1890) – coastal East Africa and southeastern Africa ::Description: Red-billed birds with blue-hued male plumage

Gallery

Village Indigo Bird.jpg, male ''V. c. centralis'',

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

Village indigobird (Vidua chalybeata okavangoensis) male Botswana.jpg, male ''V. c. okavangoensis'',

Botswana Botswana (, ), officially the Republic of Botswana ( tn, Lefatshe la Botswana, label=Setswana, ), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory being the Kalahar ...

Village indigobird (Vidua chalybeata okavangoensis) male Zimbabwe.jpg, male ''V. c. okavangoensis'',

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...

Viduidae - Vidua chalybeata.JPG, Blue plumage gloss in strong illumination

References

* ''Birds of The Gambia'' by Barlow, Wacher and Disley,

External links

Village indigobird videos, photos & sounds
on the Internet Bird Collection * Village indigobird
Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds
{{Taxonbar, from=Q941573

village indigobird The village indigobird (''Vidua chalybeata''), also known as the steelblue widowfinch or (in U.S. aviculture) the Combassou finch, is a small songbird belonging to the family Viduidae. It is distinguishable from other indigobird species by bill an ...

Birds of Sub-Saharan Africa