Red-headed Bluebill
Description
The red-headed Samenknacker reaches a body length of thirteen to fourteen inches. The beak is very strong, even if the type predominant lives of small grass seeds and millet grains. In the male head, neck, chin, throat, breast, flanks and upper tail-coverts are bright red. The rest of the body plumage is shiny black. The eyes are dark brown to black and surrounded by a grayish to bluish eye ring. The female principle is similar to the male, but lacking in the luster of their plumage. As with belonging to the same genus Grant Samenknacker and Rotbrust- Samenknacker also has the female of the Red- seed cracker on the back body bottom white drops stains.
Circulation area and way of life
The distribution of the two subspecies occurring in red- seed cracker is Angola and Congo, and Kenya and Tanzania. He generally lack in the regions where the Rotbrust- Samenknacker is widespread. The nominate Spermophaga ruficapilla ruficapilla occurs almost throughout the entire range. The subspecies Spermophaga ruficapilla cana, however, is limited to a very small area of distribution and is only in the Usambara mountains before in northeast Tanzania. The habitat is rich bush undergrowth, forest edges, roads and plantations. Its altitudinal distribution ranges in East Africa to 2,000 meters. They live singly or in pairs and are only occasionally observed in small family groups.
Red- Samenknacker build a very large ball nest. The nest usually consists of four eggs. They are incubated for 16 days by the parents birds. The fledging period is 20 days. The young birds are cared for after leaving the nest for another two to three weeks from the parents birds.
Attitude
Unlike Rotbrust- Samenknacker red-headed Samenknacker are very rarely imported to Europe. Probably the first time a red-headed Samenknacker 1934 was imported to England. After 1964 several birds came to Switzerland and arrive since individual birds of this species always in very low numbers in the trade. Generally, the red-headed Samenknacker is considered a very shy bird, which requires aviaries with lots of hiding places.