The golden-backed bishop is a species of bird in the family Ploceidae. It is found in western Angola and São Tomé Island.
Region
Gulf of Guinea and West-Central Africa
Typical Environment
The species is found on São Tomé Island and in western Angola, occupying savanna edges, grasslands, marshy clearings, and agricultural mosaics. It favors tall grasses and weedy fields where seed abundance is high, often near water. During breeding it concentrates in areas with dense grass or reeds suitable for nesting. Outside the breeding season it wanders locally in flocks across open country and cultivated landscapes.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1200 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 3/5
Breeding males show a striking golden back contrasted with a black head and underparts, but outside the breeding season they molt into a cryptic brown plumage similar to females. Like other bishops, males perform conspicuous display flights and build intricately woven nests. The species occurs on São Tomé Island and also in parts of western Angola, favoring open grassy habitats and farmland edges.
Temperament
social and active
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats
Social Behavior
Often forms small to medium flocks outside the breeding season. During breeding, males are polygynous and defend small display territories, performing fluttering flights and perching prominently to attract females. Nests are woven globular structures placed in tall grasses, reeds, or low shrubs near open ground.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
The display includes a mix of thin trills, buzzy sizzles, and chattering notes delivered from a perch or in brief hovering flights. Calls are sharp chips and chatters used to keep contact within flocks.
Plumage
Breeding male with glossy black head, throat, breast, and belly, and a bright golden to orange-gold mantle and back; wings dark with contrasting golden upperparts. Non-breeding males and females are streaked brown with paler underparts and a more subdued, sparrow-like appearance.
Diet
Feeds mainly on grass and sedge seeds, harvesting ripening seed heads and fallen grain. Supplements its diet with small insects and other invertebrates, especially during the breeding season. Will take cultivated grains opportunistically at field edges.
Preferred Environment
Forages in tall grass, weedy patches, and along the margins of croplands and wetlands. Often feeds on the ground or clings to seed heads, moving in loose flocks between patches of seed-rich vegetation.
