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Birdwatching in Africa - Purple Grenadier, Uraeginthus ianthinogaster


The Purple Grenadier (Uraeginthus ianthinogaster) is a common species of estrildid finch found in eastern Africa.

Range and habitat
It is found in subtropical and tropical (lowland) dry shrubland in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda, an estimated global extent of occurrence of 1,500,000 km². The status of the species is evaluated as Least Concern.

Range map from www.oiseaux.net

Range map
Range map from www.oiseaux.net - Ornithological Portal Oiseaux.net
www.oiseaux.net is one of those MUST visit pages if you're in to bird watching. You can find just about everything there


Description
The length averages 13.3 cm. All ages and sexes have a black tail, and adults have a red bill. The male has a cinnamon-colored head and neck with a blue patch surrounding the eye. The rump is purplish blue and the underparts are violet-blue with variable rufous patches.

The female is smaller and mostly cinnamon brown with white barring on the underparts and silver-blue eyepatches. Juveniles are like females, but mostly unbarred tawny-brown with a reddish-brown bill.

The song (in Kenya) is described as "a high, thin chit-cheet tsereea-ee-ee tsit-tsit, or cheerer cheet tsee-tsee sur-chit."

The phylogeny has been obtained by Antonio Arnaiz-Villena et al.Arnaiz-Villena, A.; Ruiz V.; González C. (1999). "Los Azulitos Africanos"

Length: 13,3 cm
Wingspan:
Weight:
Longevity:
Distinctive Feature

•
Similar Species

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From opus at www.birdforum.net the forum for wild birds and birding.
Female / Male

Male:
• Cinnamon head and neck
• Blue eyepatch
• Purple-blue rump
• Underparts violet-blue with rufous patches

Female:
• Underparts cinnamon brown with white barring
• Silver-blue eyepatch

Both adults have red bills
• Juveniles: similar to females but lack the barring on the underparts and have a red-brown bill. All birds have a black tail.

From opus at www.birdforum.net the forum for wild birds and birding.


Listen to the Purple Grenadier


www.xeno-canto.org

Origin
Origin and phylogeny has been obtained by Antonio Arnaiz-Villena et al. Estrildinae may have originated in India and dispersed thereafter (towards Africa and Pacific Ocean habitats).

Conservation status
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN. 2012. Retrieved 26 November 2013.


From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

www.birdforum.net


Sighted: (Date of first photo that I could use) 1 November 2019
Location: Yabelo, Elephant Rock, Ethiopia

Purple Grenadier, Uraeginthus ianthinogaster
Purple Grenadier



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