Fody

Fodies are small passerine birds belonging to the genus Foudia in the weaver family Ploceidae. They are native to the islands of the western Indian Ocean where they occur on Madagascar, the Seychelles, the Comoro Islands and the Mascarene Islands. The red fody has also been introduced to the Chagos Archipelago, Bahrain and Saint Helena. While the red fody is one of the most common birds of the region, several of the other fodies are considered to be threatened, particularly the Mauritius fody which is classed as endangered.

Fodies
Male red fody in breeding plumage
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Ploceidae
Genus: Foudia
L. Reichenbach, 1850
Species

see text

The birds are 12 to 15 centimetres (4.7 to 5.9 in) long and have short, conical bills. Males in breeding plumage are usually colourful with bright red or yellow on the head and sometimes elsewhere. Non-breeding males and females are dull, sparrow-like birds with mostly grey-brown plumage.

Fodies are typically found in forest, woodland or scrubland but some also occur in man-made habitats, especially the red fody. Some species feed mainly on seeds while others are largely insectivorous. Fodies build a dome-shaped nest of grass and other plant material. It has a side-opening and it is suspended from a branch or palm leaf.

The genus was introduced by the German naturalist Ludwig Reichenbach in 1850.[1] The type species was subsequently designated as the red fody.[2] Foudi or Fodi is the Malagasy name for the red fody.[3]

Species list

The genus contains eight species:[4]

ImageCommon nameScientific nameDistribution
Red fody or Madagascar fodyFoudia madagascariensisMadagascar
Comoros fody or red-headed fodyFoudia eminentissimaComoros, Mayotte and Seychelles
Aldabra fodyFoudia aldabranaAldabra Island
Forest fodyFoudia omissaMadagascar.
Mauritius fodyFoudia rubraMauritius
Seychelles fodyFoudia sechellarumSeychelles islands of Cousin Island, Cousine Island, Frégate Island
Rodrigues fodyFoudia flavicansMauritius
Réunion fodyFoudia delloniRéunion.

References
  1. Reichenbach, Ludwig (1850). Avium Systema Naturale. Das natürliche System der Vögel. Dresden: Expedition der Vollständigsten Naturgeschichte. Plate 79.
  2. Mayr, Ernst; Greenway, James C. Jr, eds. (1962). Check-list of birds of the world. Volume 15. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. p. 62.
  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 6 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.

Sources
  • Sinclair, Ian & Langrand, Olivier (1998) Birds of the Indian Ocean Islands, Struik, Cape Town.
  • Skerrett, Adrian; Bullock, Ian & Disley, Tony (2001) Birds of Seychelles, Christopher Helm, London.
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