''Euplectes'' is a
genus of
passerine bird in the
weaver
Weaver or Weavers may refer to:
Activities
* A person who engages in weaving fabric
Animals
* Various birds of the family Ploceidae
* Crevice weaver spider family
* Orb-weaver spider family
* Weever (or weever-fish)
Arts and entertainment
...
family, Ploceidae. It contains the bishops and widowbirds. They are all native to
Africa south of the
Sahara
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. It is believed that all birds in the genus are probably
polygynous
Polygyny (; from Neoclassical Greek πολυγυνία (); ) is the most common and accepted form of polygamy around the world, entailing the marriage of a man with several women.
Incidence
Polygyny is more widespread in Africa than in any ...
.
The genus ''Euplectes'' was introduced by the English naturalist
William John Swainson
William John Swainson FLS, FRS (8 October 1789 – 6 December 1855), was an English ornithologist, malacologist, conchologist, entomologist and artist.
Life
Swainson was born in Dover Place, St Mary Newington, London, the eldest son of ...
in 1829 with the
southern red bishop as the
type species. The name combines the
Ancient Greek ''eu'' "fine" or "good" and the
New Latin ''plectes'' "weaver". When choosing their mates, females within this genus will often choose males with longer tail lengths, even in species with comparatively shorter tail lengths.
Species
The genus contains 17 species.
Aviculture
The
yellow-crowned bishop and
northern red bishop are popular in
aviculture.
References
External links
*
*
Bird genera
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot
{{Ploceidae-stub