Aldabra Fody
Foudia aldabrana
The Aldabra Fody (Foudia aldabrana) is a legendary weaver found only in the Seychelles, weighing about 25 g. The Aldabra fody is a passerine bird in the family Ploceidae.
About the Aldabra Fody
The Aldabra fody is a passerine bird in the family Ploceidae. It is endemic to Aldabra, an atoll northwest of Madagascar, part of Seychelles. Regarded as conspecific with the Comoros fody in the past, it is now recognized as a distinct species by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Both sexes are yellow in color across much of the body, with breeding males orange-scarlet on the head and neck. The species has a large and powerful bill, used to compete with other birds of Aldabra for food. Nesting occurs over several months, often in introduced coconut palms and Casuarina trees. The Aldabra fody is considered endangered by the IUCN, threatened by predation of nests…
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The Aldabra fody's bill is markedly long and heavy, a distinctive characteristic. The female is similar to a sparrow, but more yellow, with dark streaks and a more powerful bill. The breeding plumage of the male is orange-scarlet on the head and breast, with yellow on the back and body, sides and flanks imbued with olive-gray, a sulfur-yellow belly, yellowish white tips on the median covert feathers, and an orange rump. An article published in the Bulletin of the African Bird Club, a conservationist journal, described the males of the species as the "most attractive of all fodies". Voice: There were no published recordings of the Aldabra fody's vocalizations as of 2013, but they have been well-described. There are a great variety, with many based on high-pitched and metallic two-eet, twee, or tee calls. They produce a trilling song sequence consisting of a variety of notes, described by one study as tsee-oo tsee-oo tsee-oo fsssssss looklooklooklooklook.
Where it lives
When to see it
Best months: March, April, May, June, August, October, November, December, with peak activity in March. It is a variable species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify an Aldabra Fody?
- The Aldabra fody's bill is markedly long and heavy, a distinctive characteristic. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is an Aldabra Fody?
- The Aldabra Fody is a small sized bird weighing about 25 g.
- Where can you see an Aldabra Fody?
- The Aldabra Fody is endemic to the Seychelles, which is the only country where it occurs.
- What birds look similar to an Aldabra Fody?
- The Aldabra Fody is most easily confused with the Rodrigues Fody, the Comoro Fody and the Seychelles Fody.
- Is the Aldabra Fody endangered?
- The Aldabra Fody is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Aldabra Fody for real
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