American widowbird (SciiFii)

The American widowbird (Euplepasser paradisea) is a species of New World sparrow, despite its name or appearance, that originally did not exist, but has since been created by SciiFii and introduced throughout the open woodlands, grasslands, shrublands, and scrublands across North America to help boost biodiversity. The closest living relative of the American widowbird are New World sparrows of the genus Zonotrichia. American widowbirds exhibit distinct sexual dimorphism. Males and females exhibit differences in behavior and morphological traits. Adult males are entirely black, including under their wing-coverts. During the breeding seaon, the males' wing shoulders are orange red and their wing-coverts white. Their bills are bluish white. Males are known for their distinctly long tails, which contain twelve tail feathers. Of these twelve tail feathers, between six and eight are approximately half a metre (approximately 20 inches) long. Males have wingspans of approximately 127 to 147 mm (approximately 5 to 5.8 inches). Females have a rather subdued coloration. The upper portion of the female's body is streaked with buff or tawny and black. Female chests, breasts and flanks are slightly paler than their above coloring. The area under the wing-coverts is black and the females' tail feathers are narrow and pointed. Finally, their bills are horn-coloured. Non-breeding males are almost identical as during the breeding season, but lacking the orange red shoulders and white wing-coverts. Immature males and females are very similar in appearance to the adult female. However, immature males, much like adult non-breeding males, are slightly larger than adult females. The American widowbird's diet generally consists of seeds, supplemented occasionally by arthropods. The birds do most of their foraging in flocks on the ground, though they are occasionally observed hawking insects airily. In addition to primping up their appearance, the rest of the American widowbirds’ mating ritual is quite elaborate. A male American widowbird will create a little stage for his dancing performance by clipping down the medium-to-tall grass to form a three-foot-wide circle and defend the territory from other males. During the breeding season, the male American widowbirds can be seen bobbing up from tall grassy plains and open woodlands, similarly to true widowbirds of Africa. The conservation status of the American widowbird is Least Concern due to successful conservation efforts, the American widowbird's wide range and its tolerance to many of the human activities.
Category:Animals
Category:Species
Category:SciiFii