Grey-headed silverbill

The grey-headed silverbill (Spermestes griseicapilla), also known as pearl-headed mannikin, is a species of estrildid finch found in eastern Africa, Ethiopia, Kenya, South Sudan, and Tanzania. It has an estimated global extent of occurrence of 400,000 km². It is now usually placed in the monotypic genus Odontospiza as Odontospiza caniceps. It is sometimes placed in the genus Lonchura.

Grey-headed silverbill
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Estrildidae
Genus: Spermestes
Species:
S. griseicapilla
Binomial name
Spermestes griseicapilla
(Reichenow, 1879)
Synonyms

Odontospiza griseicapilla
Lonchura griseicapilla

Characteristics

Identification

The grey-headed silverbill is a stocky bird with a grey head studded with white dots. Its body is greyish-brown with partly black wings and tail and a white rump. The juvenile can be told by its white rump.

Adult male is approximately 11.5 cm in length with wing length 6.5 cm.

Habitat

The grey-headed silverbill is commonly found in dry savanna habitat but never too far away from water.

Behavior

The grey-headed silverbill is gregarious, moving in small flocks and often mixing with African silverbill.

Food

The grey-headed silverbill feeds mostly on grass seeds. But it has been suggested that the species also feed on insects which are more a source of moisture than dry seeds.

Movement

The grey-headed silverbill wanders widely, influenced by weather and shifting availability of sources of water.

Origin

Origin and phylogeny has been obtained by Antonio Arnaiz-Villena et al.[2] Estrildinae may have originated in India and dispersed thereafter (towards Africa and Pacific Ocean habitats).

References
  1. BirdLife International (2012). "Odontospiza griseicapilla". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2012. Retrieved 26 November 2013.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  2. Arnaiz-Villena, A; Ruiz-del-Valle V; Gomez-Prieto P; Reguera R; Parga-Lozano C; Serrano-Vela I (2009). "Estrildinae Finches (Aves, Passeriformes) from Africa, South Asia and Australia: a Molecular Phylogeographic Study" (PDF). The Open Ornithology Journal. 2: 29–36. doi:10.2174/1874453200902010029.


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