Fody
| Fodies | |
|---|---|
| |
| Male red fody in breeding plumage | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Ploceidae |
| Genus: | Foudia Reichenbach, 1850 |
| Type species | |
| Loxia madagascariensis[1] Linnaeus, 1766
| |
| Species | |
|
see text | |
Fodies are small passerine birds belonging to the genus Foudia in the weaver family Ploceidae. They are found on islands in the western Indian Ocean.
Taxonomy
[edit]The genus Foudia was introduced in 1850 by the German naturalist Ludwig Reichenbach.[2] The name is derived from the Malagasy word for the red fody.[3] Reichenbach did not specify the type species but in 1855 the English zoologist George Gray designated the type as Loxia madagascariensis Linnaeus, 1766, the red fody.[4][5]
Description
[edit]The birds are 12 to 15 centimetres (4.7 to 5.9 in) long and have short, conical bills. Males in breeding plumage are usually colourful with bright red or yellow on the head and sometimes elsewhere. Non-breeding males and females are dull, sparrow-like birds with mostly grey-brown plumage.
Fodies are typically found in forest, woodland or scrubland but some also occur in man-made habitats, especially the red fody. Some species feed mainly on seeds while others are largely insectivorous. Fodies build a dome-shaped nest of grass and other plant material. It has a side-opening and it is suspended from a branch or palm leaf.
Distribution
[edit]They are native to the islands of the western Indian Ocean where they occur on Madagascar, the Seychelles, the Comoro Islands and the Mascarene Islands. The red fody has also been introduced to the Chagos Archipelago, Bahrain and Saint Helena. While the red fody is one of the most common birds of the region, several of the other fodies are considered to be threatened, particularly the Mauritius fody which is classed as endangered.
Species list
[edit]The genus contains seven species:[6]
| Image | Common name | Scientific name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) |
Red fody or Madagascar fody | Foudia madagascariensis | Madagascar |
| Comoros fody or red-headed fody | Foudia eminentissima | Comoros, Mayotte and Seychelles | |
| Aldabra fody | Foudia aldabrana | Aldabra Island | |
 |
Forest fody | Foudia omissa | Madagascar. |
 |
Mauritius fody | Foudia rubra | Mauritius |
| Seychelles fody | Foudia sechellarum | Seychelles islands of Cousin Island, Cousine Island, Frégate Island | |
| Rodrigues fody | Foudia flavicans | Mauritius |
An extinct species. the Réunion fody, has been described from the island of Réunion. No museum specimens exist.[7]
References
[edit]- ^ "Ploceidae". aviansystematics.org. The Trust for Avian Systematics. Retrieved 2023-07-16.
- ^ Reichenbach, Ludwig (1850). Avium Systema Naturale. Das natürliche System der Vögel. Dresden: Expedition der Vollständigsten Naturgeschichte. Plate 79.
- ^ Jobling, James A. "Foudia". The Key to Scientific Names. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Retrieved 15 April 2026.
- ^ Gray, George Robert (1855). Catalogue of the Genera and Subgenera of Birds Contained in the British Museum. London: British Museum. p. 70.
- ^ Mayr, Ernst; Greenway, James C. Jr, eds. (1962). Check-list of birds of the world. Vol. 15. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. p. 62.
- ^ AviList Core Team (2025). "AviList: The Global Avian Checklist, v2025". doi:10.2173/avilist.v2025. Retrieved 17 April 2026.
- ^ Cheke, Anthony; Hume, Julian (2008). Lost Land of the Dodo. London: T. & A.D. Poyser. pp. 42–43, 228. ISBN 0-7136-6544-0.
Sources
[edit]
- Sinclair, Ian & Langrand, Olivier (1998) Birds of the Indian Ocean Islands, Struik, Cape Town.
- Skerrett, Adrian; Bullock, Ian & Disley, Tony (2001) Birds of Seychelles, Christopher Helm, London.