Euplectes franciscanus
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
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). This species is most recognizable by the bright reddish orange with contrasting black plumage displayed by the breeding male. It is most common throughout the northern African continent but has also been introduced to areas in the western hemisphere.
The northern red bishop was first described by Paul Erdmann Isert in 1789 in Accra, Ghana. Euplectes directly translates to "good weaver," while franciscanus relates to the Franciscans, a religious order from the 12th century that symbolized the crimson color.
The northern red bishop was previously a subspecies of its neighboring species, the southern red bishop (Euplectes orix). Today, these two are classified as separate, distinct species; separated by the equator, the northern red bishop inhabits the northern continent of Africa, while the southern red bishop resides in the south. Molecular phylogenetic data in 2007 supported these two species as having... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Murchison Falls National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 2 | Awash National Park | 🇪🇹 Ethiopia | |
| 3 | Niokolo-Koba National Park | 🇸🇳 Senegal | |
| 4 | Kidepo Valley National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 5 | Virunga National Park | 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo | |
| 6 | Queen Elizabeth National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 7 | Kibale National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Abuja | 🇳🇬 Nigeria | |
| 2 | N'Djamena | 🇹🇩 Chad | |
| 3 | Accra | 🇬🇭 Ghana | |
| 4 | Lomé | 🇹🇬 Togo | |
| 5 | Kuwait City | 🇰🇼 Kuwait | |
| 6 | Serrekunda | 🇬🇲 Gambia | |
| 7 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | San Francisco | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pairi Daiza | 🇧🇪 Belgium | |
| 2 | San Diego Zoo Safari Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Columbus Zoo and Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Bronx Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Warsaw Zoo | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 6 | Houston Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Budapest Zoo & Botanical Garden | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 8 | African Dawn Bird and Wildlife Sanctuary | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 9 | National Aviary | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Ralph Perkins II Wildlife Center and Woods Garden | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 11 | herpetarium warszawskiego ZOO | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 12 | akwarium warszawskiego ZOO | 🇵🇱 Poland |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Orange Bishop sighting in Abuja on a given day, based on 17 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 73rd most-seen of the 131 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May–June and October
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report an Orange Bishop in Abuja on a given day, against under 5% in January–April and July, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Orange Bishop sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 8 cities where we can rate Orange Bishop sightings, Abuja has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come N'Djamena (Chad, about 10%) and Accra (Ghana, about 10%).
Same family: Ploceidae
The closest relatives of the Orange Bishop that you can see in Abuja (family Ploceidae, Weavers and Allies) are Village Weaver (about 60%), Olive-naped Weaver (about 30%) and Little Weaver (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Orange Bishop is recorded against all the birds logged in Abuja (17 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
