Southern Red Bishop

Among the many birds that herald the change of season, the weavers are probably the most pronounced, as it changes from a drab brown, virtually indistinguishable from females, to a magnificent red and black as seen here. This is its breeding plumage and being polygamous, I suppose it does help to have such handsome features. This particular fella has not completed his moult and still has some way to go, as the delineation between the black and red is not as marked, and there is still a patch of the dull brown coloration. As a matter of interest, I read a long time ago that it was so named after the pomp and ceremony that accompanies Episcopalian churches, with their bishops often with red/burgundy mitres. The Bishop bird will perch in prominent places to display to females.