The Southern Red Bishop (Afrikaans name is Rooivink) is related to the weavers. It builds a nest similar to the weaver but it builds it low down in the reeds. The female is a nondescript brown bird with a streaky breast.
We spent many hours trying to capture these birds, they do not stay in one place for long, flitting from reed to reed, puffing up their chests trying to call a female to the nest they have built or flying back and forth with long strings of reed that they strip off of the reed leaves. But eventually patience does pay off.
The male does not keep these bright colours, they are only this bright in the breeding season between October and February, after that their colours dim quite substantially and they become just another LBJ or little brown job.
We were quite lucky to see one busy chap actually in the process of building his nest, fascinating how he uses his beak to weave this nest, almost like the shuttle on a sewing machine.
We have been lucky enough to see these birds at Intaka and Malmesbury, they are such interesting and colourful birds.
