Black Bishop
Euplectes gierowii
The Black Bishop (Euplectes gierowii) is a rare weaver found in 8 countries, weighing about 28 g. The black bishop is a species of passerine bird in the family Ploceidae native to Africa south of the Sahara.
About the Black Bishop
The black bishop is a species of passerine bird in the family Ploceidae native to Africa south of the Sahara. Three subspecies are recognised.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
At 14 to 16 cm (5.5–6.3 in), the black bishop is large for its genus. The breeding male is black on the wings, tail, chest, cheeks and forehead. The neck, back of the head and breast band) are orange or orange-red. The under tail-coverts are pale buff with black streaks, and the upper back is yellow or orange-yellow in subspecies ansorgei, and orange in friederichseni. The throat is scarlet in the nominate subspecies and black in ansorgei. The subspecies friederichseni has the undertail coverts isabelline. The upper back is golden yellow and the rump is brown.
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in Nigeria, South Sudan.
When to see it
The Black Bishop can be seen all year round, with peak activity in July. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Black Bishop?
- At 14 to 16 cm (5.5–6.3 in), the black bishop is large for its genus. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Black Bishop?
- The Black Bishop is a small sized bird weighing about 28 g.
- Where can you see a Black Bishop?
- The Black Bishop occurs in 8 countries, including Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia and Congo - Kinshasa.
- What birds look similar to a Black Bishop?
- The Black Bishop is most easily confused with the Zanzibar Red Bishop, the Jackson's Widowbird and the Marsh Widowbird.
- Is the Black Bishop endangered?
- The Black Bishop is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Black Bishop for real
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