Euplectes

Euplectes is a genus of passerine bird in the weaver family, Ploceidae. It contains the bishops and widowbirds. They are all native to Africa south of the Sahara. It is believed that all birds in the genus are probably polygynous.[1]

Euplectes
Euplectes afer subsp. ladoensis E. macrourus subsp. macrocercus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Ploceidae
Genus:	Euplectes Swainson, 1829
Type species
Euplectes macrourus
Species
About 17, see text

The genus Euplectes was introduced by the English naturalist William John Swainson in 1829 with the southern red bishop as the type species.[2] The name combines the Ancient Greek eu "fine" or "good" and the New Latin plectes "weaver".[3]

Species

The genus contains 17 species.[4]

Image	Scientific name	Common Name	Distribution
	Euplectes afer	Yellow-crowned bishop	Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe
	Euplectes diadematus	Fire-fronted bishop	Kenya, Somalia, and Tanzania.
	Euplectes aureus	Golden-backed bishop	western Angola and São Tomé Island.
	Euplectes gierowii	Black bishop	Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda
	Euplectes nigroventris	Zanzibar red bishop	Kenya, Mozambique, and Tanzania.
	Euplectes hordeaceus	Black-winged red bishop	Senegal to Sudan and south to Angola, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and Mozambique.
	Euplectes orix	Southern red bishop or red bishop,	north to Angola, southern and eastern parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo,northern Zambia southern Uganda north-east Nigeria and south-west Kenya
	Euplectes franciscanus	Northern red bishop or orange bishop,	Africa south of the Sahara Desert and north of the Equator
	Euplectes capensis	Yellow bishop	Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, South Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe
	Euplectes axillaris	Fan-tailed widowbird	Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, DRC, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
	Euplectes macroura	Yellow-mantled widowbird	Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
	Euplectes hartlaubi	Marsh widowbird	Angola, Cameroon, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia.
	Euplectes psammacromius	Montane widowbird	northeast Zambia, northern Malawi and the highlands of southwestern Tanzania
	Euplectes albonotatus	White-winged widowbird	Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Central African Republic, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Gabon, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, São Tomé, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe
	Euplectes ardens	Red-collared widowbird	South Mali, North Guinea, inland Sierra Leone. North Liberia, North Ivory Coast, Southwest Niger, Central and Southeast Nigeria, Cameroon, Central African Republic, South Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Central and Northeast Angola, Uganda, West Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Northwest and South Mozambique, Swaziland, and East South Africa
	Euplectes progne	Long-tailed widowbird	Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Lesotho, South Africa, Swaziland, and Zambia
	Euplectes jacksoni	Jackson's widowbird	Kenya and Tanzania.

Aviculture

The yellow-crowned bishop and northern red bishop are popular in aviculture.

References

1. Craig, Adrian J. F. K. (1980). "Behaviour and evolution in the genus Euplectes". Journal of Ornithology. 121 (2): 144–161. doi:10.1007/BF01642928.
2. Swainson, William John (1829). Zoological illustrations, or, Original figures and descriptions of new, rare, or interesting animals. 2nd series. Volume 1. London: Baldwin, Cradock, and Joy; and W. Wood. Plate 37 text.
3. Jobling, J.A. (2018). del Hoyo, J.; Elliott, A.; Sargatal, J.; Christie, D.A.; de Juana, E. (eds.). "Key to Scientific Names in Ornithology". Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
4. Gill, Frank; Donsker, David, eds. (2018). "Old World sparrows, snowfinches, weavers". World Bird List Version 8.1. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 5 May 2018.

External links

• Media related to Euplectes at Wikimedia Commons
• Data related to Euplectes at Wikispecies