Locustfinch Paludipasser locustella Scientific name definitions

9–10 cm. Male nominate race has crown and most of upperparts brownish-black, mantle, scapulars, back and inner upperwing-coverts with fine white spots, rump unspotted red, tail black; inner wing-coverts and much of flight-feathers orange-rufous (fading with wear); face to upper breast red, lower breast to undertail-coverts black, a few pale spots on rear flanks and undertail-coverts; iris yellow; bill red, culmen black; legs light brown. Female is duller than male, has face black, throat to belly white, sides and flanks barred black and white. Juvenile is like female but still duller, upperparts scaly brown, upperwing brown, throat and upper breast whitish, barred dark grey, iris dark brown, bill black. Race uelensis differs from nominate in lacking white spots.

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Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

Flat, open grassland with tufts of short, wiry grass, edges of swamps and seasonal floodplains, low marshy sites that have dried and been burnt; also abandoned cultivation in highlands. Uplands; in Zambia at 950–1670 m.

Resident and partially migratory. Seasonal in occurrence in some regions; in S Africa wanders extensively in dry season; a vagrant in Kenya.

Small grass seeds, taken from ground. Terrestrial; spends almost all of its time on the ground. Forages in pairs and in family groups; in non-breeding season in large flocks. When disturbed, it crouches, motionless, and then rises suddenly to fairly high height and flies directly or erratically, before landing; often simply walks away out of sight on ground.

Calls "tissep", "chit", "cheep", "tsee-tset", "see-see-see", rattling "chichichichichit", and downslurred "chyew" or "tyee-tyee-tyee"; flight call "chyew", downslurred from 3·7 kHz to 3·2 kHz.

Breeds in Oct in Nigeria, Jan–May in Zambia and Zimbabwe, and Jan and Feb in Malawi. No information on courtship behaviour. Nest ball-shaped, with thick base, entrance hole on one side, made from soft, fine dry grass, interior made from green grass stems, sometimes feathers or vegetable down, well hidden on ground in grass or in wet, damp or dried soil. Clutch usually 3–5 eggs, sometimes up to 8; incubation by both sexes, mainly by female, no information on duration; nestling has short down on head, gape initially with small black-bordered red ball, later (day 3 to day 6) two small red balls on each side, palate whitish with bright red centre bordered by blackish-edged red U-shaped arc, which by day 3 divides medially into two arcs, and a black transverse line appears at lateral base and extends half-way to edge of mouth, tongue pale with red spots; chicks fed by both parents, no information on duration of nestling period; fledglings tended by both parents.

Not globally threatened. Generally uncommon and local. Few records in many countries, e.g. in NW of range; more widespread but rather local in N & W parts of Zambia.