Red Fody

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".

Taxonomy

In 1760, the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson included a description of the red fody in his ''Ornithologie'' based on a specimen collected in Madagascar. He used the French name ''Le cardinal de Madagascar'' and the Latin ''Cardinalis Madagascariensis''. The two stars (**) at the start of the section indicates that Brisson based his description on the examination of a specimen. Although Brisson coined Latin names, these do not conform to the binomial system and are not recognised by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature. When in 1766 the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus updated his ''Systema Naturae'' for the twelfth edition, he added 240 species that had been previously described by Brisson. One of these was the red fody. Linnaeus included a brief description, coined the binomial name ''Loxia madagascariensis'' and cited Brisson's work. This species is now placed in the genus '' Foudia'' that was introduced by the German naturalist Ludwig Reichenbach in 1850. The type species was subsequently designated as the red fody. The species is monotypic.

Description

The red fody is about in length and weighs . The male of the species is bright red with black markings around each eye. Its wings and tail are brown. Its underparts are also red, which distinguishes it from other fodies in areas where it has been introduced. The female fody's upper parts are olive-brown and its underparts are greyish brown.

Distribution and habitat

It is a common bird found in forest clearings, grasslands and cultivated areas, but not in dense forest. In Madagascar it is regarded as a pest of rice cultivation. It has been introduced to other areas of the Indian Ocean, included the Amirantes, Comoros, Seychelles, Mauritius, Réunion and Saint Helena.

Ecology

The red fody feeds largely on seeds, especially grass seeds, and insects, but several other foodstuffs are also taken; these include fruit, nectar, household scraps and copra.

Outside the breeding season, this bird is gregarious. As the breeding season approaches, males establish territories, about in diameter. The birds are monogamous, and the male starts building the nest in the centre of the territory before courtship commences, with nests being clustered together in loose colonies. The nest is globular with a side entrance and porch or short tube. It is constructed, mostly by the male, out of rootlets, tendrils, grasses and other long strands of vegetation, woven together. The nest takes around eight days to build, and many get abandoned if the male fails to attract a mate.

Impact on native birds

In different parts of its introduced range, this species show different impacts on native birds. Both the endangered Mauritius fody (''Foudia rubra'') and the Rodrigues fody (''Foudia flavicans'') have been affected by the competition for resources on their respective islands.

Gallery

Red cardinal fody (Foudia madagascariensis) male transition Reunion.jpg, Male, start of transition plumage, La Réunion
Madagascar fody (Foudia madagascariensis) male, transition into breeding plumage.jpg, Male, transition into breeding plumage, Madagascar
Red cardinal fody (Foudia madagascariensis) male Reunion.jpg, Male on La Réunion
Red cardinal fody (Foudia madagascariensis) male Reunion 2.jpg, Male on La Réunion
Female Foudia madagascariensis.jpg, Female
Foudia madagascariensis MHNT 228 Tsara Madagascar.jpg, Eggs MHNT

References

External links

Red fody species text
on Weaver Watch

Madagascar red fody
at Soavoanio plantation, SAVA

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1060466

red fody
Birds of Madagascar
Birds of Seychelles
Birds of the Comoros
Birds of Mauritius
Birds of Réunion
Birds of the Indian Ocean
red fody
red fody