Bird Album
Red Fody
Foudia madagascariensis (Linnaeus, 1766)
13 cmLength17 gWeight
The red fody (Foudia madagascariensis), also known as the Madagascar fody in Madagascar, red cardinal fody in Mauritius, or common fody, is a small bird native to Madagascar and introduced to various other islands in the Indian Ocean.
Busiest months: November · Most records: Madagascar, Seychelles, Mauritius
Where and when it's recorded
Red Fody has been recorded at 67 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 8 countries and regions.
Records by month Southern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Parc de TsarasaotraMadagascar932 records
- Ifaty – spiny forest reservesMadagascar584 records
- Andasibe Mantadia National ParkMadagascar262 records
More places
- Ranomafana NPMadagascar201 records
- Black River Gorges NPMauritius193 records
- Andasibe-Mantadia NPMadagascar182 records
- Berenty ReserveMadagascar159 records
- PerinetMadagascar139 records
- Veuve NRSeychelles137 records
- Diego GarciaBritish Indian Ocean Territory136 records
Countries and regions with the most records
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 red fody (Foudia madagascariensis), also known as the Madagascar fody in Madagascar, red cardinal fody in Mauritius, or common fody, is a small bird native to Madagascar and introduced to various other islands in the Indian Ocean. It is a common bird within its restricted range, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern".
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Red Fody?
The Red Fody is about 13 cm long and weighs around 17 g.
Where does the Red Fody live?
Its breeding range: Africa: Madagascar; introduced (possibly naturally) widely elsewhere in region, including Comoros, Seychelles and Mascarenes. It is most often recorded in Madagascar, Seychelles and Mauritius.
When is the best time to see the Red Fody?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in November (Southern Hemisphere).
Is the Red Fody endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Red Fody as Least Concern.
What does the Red Fody eat?
Main food: Seeds.
What family is the Red Fody in?
It belongs to the family Weavers, Widowbirds (Ploceidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).
At a glance
- Length
- 13 cm
- Weight
- 17 g
- Habitat
- Woodland
- Diet
- Seeds
- Lifestyle
- Perches in trees
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 63 mm
- Tail
- 48 mm
- Bill
- 14 mm
- Tarsus
- 18 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Africa: Madagascar; introduced (possibly naturally) widely elsewhere in region, including Comoros, Seychelles and Mascarenes
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Passerines Passeriformes
- Family
- Weavers, Widowbirds Ploceidae
- Genus
- Foudia
Other birds in the genus Foudia
Comoro FodyFoudia eminentissima
Aldabra FodyFoudia aldabrana
Forest FodyFoudia omissa
Mauritius FodyFoudia rubra
Seychelles FodyFoudia sechellarum
Rodrigues FodyFoudia flavicans
White-billed Buffalo WeaverBubalornis albirostris
Red-billed Buffalo WeaverBubalornis niger
White-headed Buffalo WeaverDinemellia dinemelli
White-browed Sparrow-WeaverPlocepasser mahali
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Лариса Артемьева. ↗
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