Yellow Bishop

The Yellow Bishop, Euplectes capensis, is a robust, 15-centimeter-long bird, known for its striking plumage during the breeding season. The male is adorned with a black body contrasted by a vivid yellow lower back, rump, and shoulder patches. A short crest, thick conical black bill, and a relatively short tail complete his breeding attire. Notably, the bill size can vary significantly among different races of this species.

Identification Tips

During the breeding season, the male Yellow Bishop is unmistakable with his black and yellow plumage. In contrast, the non-breeding male and female Yellow Bishops are more challenging to identify. The non-breeding male retains the yellow shoulders and rump, which serve as distinguishing features, while the female lacks these contrasting patches. Juveniles and females are similar in appearance to other bishops, widowbirds, and some seedeaters, making field identification particularly tricky.

Habitat

The Yellow Bishop favors less arid vegetated areas for its habitat. It thrives in fynbos, moist grasslands, and bracken-covered valleys, ranging from sea level up to the Ethiopian highlands.

Distribution

This resident breeding bird species has a wide distribution across the African continent, found in countries including Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Behaviour

In the breeding season, Yellow Bishops tend to be solitary or found in pairs. Outside of this season, they become gregarious and often form flocks with other 'mixed euplectes'. These flocks can be seen feeding and moving together.

Song & Calls

The Yellow Bishop's vocalizations include a series of 'zeet zeet zeet' calls and a harsh 'zzzzzzt' sound typically made by the male in flight. The song of the subspecies from southwestern Cameroon, known as phoenicomerus, is distinctively different, consisting of a dry rattle followed by 'swit-err, swit-err'.

Diet and Feeding

These birds have a diet that consists of seeds, grains, and some insects, which they forage for on the ground.

Conservation status

The Yellow Bishop is currently listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, indicating that it does not face any significant threats to its survival at present.