African Silverbill
Encyclopedia
The African Silverbill (Lonchura cantans) is a small passerine
bird formerly considered conspecific with the Asian species Indian Silverbill
, (Lonchura malabarica). This estrildid finch
is a common resident breeding bird in dry savanna habitat, south of the Sahara Desert. This species is also been introduced to a few countries such as Portugal
, Qatar
and USA.
firmly united both species in his revision of the Estrildinae. However, in 1964, James M. Harrison
first studied the two in a strictly comparative manner and concluded that they were two separate species. He discovered that although the call notes were similar, the songs are distinctly different in form, but sharing a common pattern. They are sympatric in the south of the Arabian Peninsula and there is no record of natural hybridization. From Harrison's personal observation of birds in captivity, each of the two forms evinced a preference for its own kind. In 1985, Kakizawa and Watada confirmed Harrison's conclusion. They confirmed the genetic difference of the two species by the means of protein electrophoresis
. In 1990, Sibley and Monroe accept the two as distinct species.
The subspecies L. c. orientalis is darker on the face and upperparts than the other subspecies.
s or dry grassland. It may also be found in cultivated areas and dry grassland. It is by nature a bird of dry country. It is primarily a lowland species but can be found up to 2,000 m (6500 ft) altitude.
The clutch varies from three to six oval, smooth white eggs. The female incubates during the day, and though the male may relieve her when she leaves the nest to feed. It has been suggested that the male does not actually brood (Soderberg 1956). They are both at nest at night. The incubation period is about eleven to thirteen days average, and the young fledging in about twenty-one days and becoming independent within a month of fledging.
Newly hatched young are dark and have waxy looking yellow gape
swellings. The plate has a single heavy black circle, inside the white month flange which embraces the upper and lower parts of the gape.
Passerine
A passerine is a bird of the order Passeriformes, which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds or, less accurately, as songbirds, the passerines form one of the most diverse terrestrial vertebrate orders: with over 5,000 identified species, it has roughly...
bird formerly considered conspecific with the Asian species Indian Silverbill
Indian Silverbill
The Indian Silverbill or White-throated Munia is a small passerine bird found in South Asia that was formerly considered to include the closely related African Silverbill . This estrildid finch is a common resident breeding bird in the dry regions of the Middle East and South Asia...
, (Lonchura malabarica). This estrildid finch
Estrildid finch
The estrildid finches are small passerine birds of the Old World tropics and Australasia. They can be classified as the family Estrildidae , or as a sub-group within the family Passeridae, which also includes the true sparrows....
is a common resident breeding bird in dry savanna habitat, south of the Sahara Desert. This species is also been introduced to a few countries such as Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, Qatar
Qatar
Qatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...
and USA.
Taxonomy
In early literature, African Silverbill (Lonchura cantans) and Indian Silverbill (L. malabarica) were treated as conspecific. In 1943, Jean Théodore DelacourJean Théodore Delacour
Jean Théodore Delacour was an American ornithologist of French origin. He was renowned for not only discovering but also rearing some of the rarest birds in the world...
firmly united both species in his revision of the Estrildinae. However, in 1964, James M. Harrison
James M. Harrison
James Merritt Harrison, CC was a Canadian scientist and public servant. He was the Director of the Geological Survey of Canada from 1956 to 1964, and Assistant Deputy Minister of the Department of Energy, Mines and Resources.Born in Regina, Saskatchewan, he obtained his B.Sc. from the University...
first studied the two in a strictly comparative manner and concluded that they were two separate species. He discovered that although the call notes were similar, the songs are distinctly different in form, but sharing a common pattern. They are sympatric in the south of the Arabian Peninsula and there is no record of natural hybridization. From Harrison's personal observation of birds in captivity, each of the two forms evinced a preference for its own kind. In 1985, Kakizawa and Watada confirmed Harrison's conclusion. They confirmed the genetic difference of the two species by the means of protein electrophoresis
Protein electrophoresis
Protein electrophoresis is a method for analysing the proteins in a fluid or an extract. The electrophoresis may be performed with a small volume of sample in a number of alternative ways with or without a supporting medium: SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis Protein electrophoresis is a method...
. In 1990, Sibley and Monroe accept the two as distinct species.
Subspecies
- L. c. cantans (Nominate race) occurs in west and central Africa
- L. c. inornata occurs in extreme north-eastern Africa and the Arabian Peninsula
- L. c. orientalis occurs in east Africa
Description
The African Silverbill is approximately 10 cm (4 in) in length with a long black pointed tail. The adult has a stubby silver-blue bill, finely vermiculated light-brown upper parts, whitish underparts, black rump and black wings. The sexes are similar, but immatures lack the vermiculations. This species has a tseep call and a trilling song. The contact call of the male is a single tseep while the female is a double noted tsiptsip. Birds in flight keep up a constant tseep tseep tseep.The subspecies L. c. orientalis is darker on the face and upperparts than the other subspecies.
Distribution and habitat
The species is widespread in savanna country, arid landscape with thorn bush, and grasslands with acaciaAcacia
Acacia is a genus of shrubs and trees belonging to the subfamily Mimosoideae of the family Fabaceae, first described in Africa by the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus in 1773. Many non-Australian species tend to be thorny, whereas the majority of Australian acacias are not...
s or dry grassland. It may also be found in cultivated areas and dry grassland. It is by nature a bird of dry country. It is primarily a lowland species but can be found up to 2,000 m (6500 ft) altitude.
Behaviour
The African Silverbill is tame and sociable, often found perching in trees in dense flocks, touching one another. However it is a particularly inactive bird, sitting huddled together for a long period of time. It stays in flocks all year round and usually breeds in loose colony.Feeding
The African Silverbill feeds mostly on grass seeds, picked from the ground but also taken from the growing plants if available. It will cling to grass stems to take seeds from the inflorescences. It seems that it feeds mainly on vegetable matter and rearing its young on seed as well. However, it has been recorded to take aphids from water mint (Meinertzhagen 1954).Courtship
The male displays by grasping a stem of grass at one end, and hops or files to near the female. At once he sleeks down his feathers, stands upright with tail straight down, and jerks his head upwards a few times. He then leans forward, twists his tail towards the female and fluffs his flank and belly feathers. At this stage he usually drops the straw and begins to sing and dance. The flank and ventral feathers are not always fluffed out, and the intensity of the display probably depends on the relationship of the two birds. If the female seems receptive the male will attempt copulation. However, most displays come to an end before this final phase is reached. Successful mating is usually followed by a little bill fencing and mutual preening. (Baptista and Horblit 1990)Breeding
The nest of the African Silverbill is usually built in the form of a roundish bundle of grasses. It is lined with soft fibres and sometimes feathers, and may be placed in a thick bush or hedge or amongst the creepers on a house. The male is recorded in the wild as collecting all the nesting material (Meinertzhagen 1954), while the female only shares in construction.The clutch varies from three to six oval, smooth white eggs. The female incubates during the day, and though the male may relieve her when she leaves the nest to feed. It has been suggested that the male does not actually brood (Soderberg 1956). They are both at nest at night. The incubation period is about eleven to thirteen days average, and the young fledging in about twenty-one days and becoming independent within a month of fledging.
Newly hatched young are dark and have waxy looking yellow gape
Gape
In bird anatomy, the gape is the interior of the open mouth of a bird and the gape flange is the region where the two mandibles join together, at the base of the beak...
swellings. The plate has a single heavy black circle, inside the white month flange which embraces the upper and lower parts of the gape.