Village Indigobird

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The Village Indigobird, also known as the Steelblue Widowfinch, occurs in a band from Senegal in West Africa to Sudan, Eritrea and Ethiopia, and then southwards to our country, where it is found in parts of all provinces except the Western Cape. They’re most commonly found in acacia savanna, mopane woodland and riverine thickets, feed mainly on seeds and termites, and occur singly, in pairs or flocks numbering as many as 60 birds. According to the IUCN it is not in any danger of extinction.

The Village Indigobird is a brood parasite, in which males mate with as many females as they can and the females in turn lay their eggs in the nests of other small finches – especially firefinches – even if the nest owner is in the nest! In this way each female Indigobird may produce up to 26 eggs in a breeding season, which spans December to June. The chicks are reared by their adoptive parents until they rejoin the Indigobird flock at about 4-5 weeks of age. These small birds weigh around 13g when they’re fully grown.

Male Village Indigobird
Village Indigobird female
Village Indigobird female
Village Indigobird females
Village Indigobird male

15 thoughts on “Village Indigobird”

  1. naturebackin

    Nice also to see photos of the females. In the absence of the males its likely quite easy to misidentify them! How interesting that they will parasitize a nest while the firefinch parent is in the nest! And interesting that the interloper nestling will grow up with the host chicks!

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    1. DeWetsWild Post author

      The parasitic chick growing up in almost harmony with its adopted siblings really is so different from the “usual” pattern of brood-parasites like the cuckoos where very few if any of the host eggs and chicks survive.

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    1. DeWetsWild Post author

      Just when you think you have it sussed, nature will show you that it still has more for you to learn! Rarely the indigobird female may peck open one of the firefinch eggs already in the nest, Brian, but even that is rare. The chicks grow up peacefully together, although the indigobird refuses to preen its “siblings” while they don’t mind doing it for the adopted child at all.

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  5. Anne

    We used to see these – and a few fire finches – in our garden several years ago. The forest has grown up though and the habitat changes no longer suit such birds – although we are compensated with the arrival of others 🙂

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    1. DeWetsWild Post author

      Now that is a very interesting observation, Anne! I’ve noticed the same with Cape Wagtails here in Gauteng – they used to be one of the most common garden visitors but now you hardly see any.

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