Northern Red Bishop (Euplectes franciscanus)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

Northern Red Bishop

Euplectes franciscanus (Isert, 1789)

≈12 cmLength16 gWeight

In the breeding season, the male is orange-red with a black crown, forehead, flanks and belly.

Busiest months: September–October · Most records: United States, Puerto Rico, Gambia

Looks like Southern Red Bishop

Least Concern

How to identify

Field marks

  1. Male in breeding season has orange-red back, chin, throat and breast
  2. Crown, forehead, flanks and belly black
  3. Tail and upperwing brown, bill black, legs and feet pale
  4. Male has a continuous red chin patch

Male, female and young

Only the male in the breeding season is orange-red; females and non-breeding males are pale brown and white.

Voice

The male's song in the breeding season is monotonous and changes little between years.

Similar species

Southern Red Bishop
Southern Red Bishop

The male Northern Red Bishop's continuous red chin patch is a key distinction; it occurs in northern Africa, while Southern Red Bishop occurs in the south.

Where and when it's recorded

Northern Red Bishop has been recorded at 236 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 31 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Peck Rd. Water Conservation ParkUnited States1,265 records
  2. IRWD San Joaquin Marsh & Wildlife Sanctuary, IrvineUnited States1,100 records
  3. Madrona MarshUnited States1,026 records
More places
  1. Los Angeles River – Willow St.United States877 records
  2. Laguna Cartagena - West EndPuerto Rico594 records
  3. Sepulveda Basin – East of Woodley AveUnited States376 records
  4. Reserva Natural Laguna CartagenaPuerto Rico369 records
  5. Huntington Central Park – EastUnited States366 records
  6. Hacienda La EsperanzaPuerto Rico352 records
  7. Murchison Falls NP – North sideUganda335 records

Countries and regions with the most records

United StatesPuerto RicoGambiaUgandaGhanaEthiopiaKenyaNigeria

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The northern red bishop or orange bishop (Euplectes franciscanus) is a small passerine bird in the family Ploceidae. It is part of the largest genus in the family with over 60 different species. Its sister species is the Southern red bishop (Euplectes orix).

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Northern Red Bishop?

The Northern Red Bishop is about ≈12 cm long and weighs around 16 g.

Where does the Northern Red Bishop live?

Its breeding range: Africa: western, central, eastern. It is most often recorded in United States, Puerto Rico and Gambia.

When is the best time to see the Northern Red Bishop?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in September and October (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the Northern Red Bishop endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Northern Red Bishop as Least Concern.

What does the Northern Red Bishop eat?

Main food: Seeds.

What family is the Northern Red Bishop in?

It belongs to the family Weavers, Widowbirds (Ploceidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).

At a glance

Length
≈12 cm
Weight
16 g
Habitat
Grassland
Diet
Seeds
Lifestyle
Active on the ground
Migration
Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation
Least Concern
More measurements
Wing
59 mm
Tail
36 mm
Bill
13 mm
Tarsus
18 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Africa: western, central, eastern

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Classification

Order
Passerines Passeriformes
Family
Weavers, Widowbirds Ploceidae
Genus
Euplectes

Other birds in the genus Euplectes

Yellow-crowned BishopYellow-crowned BishopEuplectes aferFire-fronted BishopFire-fronted BishopEuplectes diadematusBlack BishopBlack BishopEuplectes gierowiiZanzibar Red BishopZanzibar Red BishopEuplectes nigroventrisBlack-winged Red BishopBlack-winged Red BishopEuplectes hordeaceusSouthern Red BishopSouthern Red BishopEuplectes orixGolden-backed BishopGolden-backed BishopEuplectes aureusYellow BishopYellow BishopEuplectes capensisFan-tailed WidowbirdFan-tailed WidowbirdEuplectes axillarisYellow-mantled WidowbirdYellow-mantled WidowbirdEuplectes macrouraMarsh WidowbirdMarsh WidowbirdEuplectes hartlaubiMontane WidowbirdMontane WidowbirdEuplectes psammacromius
Northern Red Bishop

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Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Abubakar S. Ringim. ↗

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