- Orange Weaver
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Orange Weaver Conservation status Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Passeriformes Family: Ploceidae Genus: Ploceus Species: P. aurantius Binomial name Ploceus aurantius
(Vieillot, 1805)The Orange Weaver Finch (Ploceus aurantius) is a species of bird in the Ploceidae family. It is found in Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Togo, and Uganda. They are also commonly kept in aviculture.
Contents
Appearance
These birds exhibit sexual dimorphism, and plumage also varies seasonally. During breeding or "nuptial" season, the male has a black beak, black plumage around the eyes, and brown wings, The rest of the plumage is a brilliant red to orange in color. Outside of breeding season, the males sport plumage that is considerably more drab, brown overall with some dark streaks and a cream-colored belly. The females have the same plumage year-round, which resembles that of the off-season males. The males of this species are often confused males of the species E. o. orix, more commonly known as the grenadier weaver, or red bishop.
Behavior
In the wild, orange weavers make their homes in reed beds close to the surface of water. True to its name, male orange weavers construct complexly woven nests during breeding season. These birds, like most other finches, are social, and enjoy the company of other finches. However, as a pet; an Orange Weaver Finches has been noted to enjoy living alone & will enjoy bouncing from various scattered perches in a tall cage setting.
Aviculture
The Orange Weaver Finch is commonly kept in aviculture. They are quite hardy for small birds. Like all finches, they should be kept in groups. Because of their active nature, these finches should be housed in large aviaries. They may be housed with other, larger finches, and will generally do well in this situation. However, individual orange weavers can become quite aggressive during breeding season. Because of this, the aggressive finches must sometimes be separated from the group. Orange weavers should be fed a diet that is a balanced mixture of small cereal seeds, fresh greens and some live foods, such as meal worms. It can be noted by an Orange Weaver Finch owner that Orange Weaver Finches are able to enjoy Zupreem fruity pellets for Finches and will exhibit proper colorful plumage growth with each seasonal change.
Breeding
Orange weavers are polygamous in the wild, and two or three females should generally be provided for each male.
References
- BirdLife International 2004. Ploceus aurantius. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 26 July 2007.
- The Orange(Red Bishop) Weaver. [1]
Family: Ploceidae Genus Bubalornis White-billed Buffalo Weaver (B. albirostris) • Red-billed Buffalo Weaver (B. niger)Dinemellia White-headed Buffalo Weaver (D. dinemelli)Sporopipes Speckle-fronted Weaver (S. frontalis) • Scaly-feathered Weaver (S. squamifrons)Plocepasser White-browed Sparrow-Weaver (P. mahali) • Chestnut-crowned Sparrow-Weaver (P. superciliosus) • Chestnut-backed Sparrow-Weaver (P. rufoscapulatus) • Donaldson Smith's Sparrow-Weaver (P. donaldsoni)Histurgops Rufous-tailed Weaver (H. ruficauda)Pseudonigrita Grey-capped Social Weaver (P. arnaudi) • Black-capped Social Weaver (P. cabanisi)Philetairus Sociable Weaver (P. socius)Ploceus Compact Weaver (P. superciliosus) • Black-chinned Weaver (P. nigrimentus) • Baglafecht Weaver (P. baglafecht) • Bertram's Weaver (P. bertrandi) • Slender-billed Weaver (P. pelzelni) • Loango Weaver (P. subpersonatus) • Little Weaver (P. luteolus) • Lesser Masked Weaver (P. intermedius) • Spectacled Weaver (P. ocularis) • Bannerman's Weaver (P. bannermani) • Bates's Weaver (P. batesi) • Black-necked Weaver (P. nigricollis) • Black-billed Weaver (P. melanogaster) • Strange Weaver (P. alienus) • Bocage's Weaver (P. temporalis) • Cape Weaver (P. capensis) • Eastern Golden Weaver (P. subaureus) • Holub's Golden Weaver (P. xanthops) • Príncipe Weaver (Ploceus princeps) • Orange Weaver (P. aurantius) • Golden Palm Weaver (P. bojeri) • Taveta Weaver (P. castaneiceps) • Southern Brown-throated Weaver (P. xanthopterus) • Northern Brown-throated Weaver (P. castanops) • Kilombero Weaver (P. burnieri) • Rüppell's Weaver or Rueppell's Weaver (P. galbula) • Heuglin's Masked Weaver (P. heuglini) • Northern Masked Weaver (P. taeniopterus) • Vitelline Masked Weaver (P. vitellinus) • Southern Masked Weaver (P. velatus) • Katanga Masked Weaver Ploceus katangae • Lufira Masked Weaver (P. ruweti) • Tanzanian Masked Weaver (P. reichardi) • Village Weaver (P. cucullatus) • Giant Weaver (P. grandis) • Speke's Weaver (P. spekei) • Fox's Weaver (P. spekeoides) • Vieillot's Black Weaver (P. nigerrimus) • Weyns's Weaver (P. weynsi) • Clarke's Weaver (P. golandi) • Black-headed Weaver (P. melanocephalus) • Juba Weaver (P. dichrocephalus) • Golden-backed Weaver (P. jacksoni) • Cinnamon Weaver (P. badius) • Chestnut Weaver (P. rubiginosus) • Golden-naped Weaver (P. aureonucha) • Yellow-mantled Weaver (P. tricolor) • Maxwell's Black Weaver (P. albinucha) • Nelicourvi Weaver (P. nelicourvi) • Sakalava Weaver (P. sakalava) • Streaked Weaver (P. manyar) • Baya Weaver (P. philippinus) • Asian Golden Weaver (P. hypoxanthus) • Finn's Weaver (P. megarhynchus) • Black-breasted Weaver (P. benghalensis) • Dark-backed Weaver (P. bicolor) • Preuss's Weaver (P. preussi) • Yellow-capped Weaver (P. dorsomaculatus) • Usambara Weaver (P. nicolli) • Olive-headed Weaver (P. olivaceiceps) • Brown-capped Weaver (P. insignis) • Bar-winged Weaver (P. angolensis) • São Tomé Weaver (P. sanctithomae) • Yellow-legged Weaver (P. flavipes)Pachyphantes Compact Weaver (P. superciliosus)Malimbus Red-crowned Malimbe (M. coronatus) • Cassin's Malimbe (M. cassini) • Gola Malimbe (M. ballmanni) • Rachel's Malimbe (M. racheliae) • Red-vented Malimbe (M. scutatus) • Ibadan Malimbe (M. ibadanensis) • Red-bellied Malimbe (M. erythrogaster) • Blue-billed Malimbe (M. nitens) • Crested Malimbe (M. malimbicus) • Red-headed Malimbe (M. rubricollis)Anaplectes Red-headed Weaver (A. rubriceps)Brachycope Bob-tailed Weaver (B. anomala)Quelea Foudia Red Fody (F. madagascariensis) • Red-headed Fody (Foudia eminentissima) (Comoro Fody and Aldabra Fody if species spilt) • Forest Fody (F. omissa) • Mauritius Fody (F. rubra) • Seychelles Fody (F. sechellarum) • Rodrigues Fody (F. flavicans)Euplectes Yellow-crowned Bishop (E. afer) • Fire-fronted Bishop (E. diadematus) • Black Bishop (E. gierowii) • Black-winged Red Bishop (E. hordeaceus) • Northern Red Bishop or Orange Bishop (E. franciscanus) • Southern Red Bishop or Red Bishop (E. orix) • Zanzibar Red Bishop (E. nigroventris) • Golden-backed Bishop (E. aureus) • Yellow Bishop (E. capensis) • Fan-tailed Widowbird (E. axillaris) • Yellow-mantled Widowbird (E. macroura) • White-winged Widowbird (E. albonotatus) • Red-collared Widowbird (E. ardens) • Marsh Widowbird (E. hartlaubi) • Montane Widowbird (E. psammacromius) • Long-tailed Widowbird (E. progne) • Jackson's Widowbird (E. jacksoni)Anomalospiza Cuckoo Finch also called Parasitic Weaver (A. imberbis) (probably belongs in Viduidae)Amblyospiza Thick-billed Weaver (A. albifrons)This Ploceidae-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.