Orange Bishop (Euplectes franciscanus), Gilbert Water Ranch, Maricopa County

This female or nonbreeding male Bishop, presumably an Orange Bishop, was found by Michael Moore and Brendon Grice on 16 September 2006 at the Gilbert Water Ranch.  These photographs were taken by Brendon on 27 October 2006.  The bird stayed for several months.

Orange Bishops originate from sub-Saharan Central Africa and are common cage birds.  The breeding males are unmistakable.  The females and nonbreeding males are extremely difficult to identify to species and in North America can be mistaken for Grasshopper Sparrow, female Dickcissel or even Bobolink for those not expecting them.  One key feature to Bishops is they nervously twitch their tail open and closed.

Orange Bishops originating as escaped cage birds are fairly well established breeders locally in Southern California with a population last estimated at over 400 birds.  They were first noted breeding in Arizona in 1998.  The Arizona Breeding Bird Atlas (which covers 1993-2000) notes that several small breeding populations of Orange Bishops were found in North-Central Phoenix.  From 1998-2003 there was a small colony at Greenway and 7th Street that is now gone because the wash they bred in was "cleaned up" to control mosquitos.

Identification of female Bishops is discussed here:
http://elibrary.unm.edu/sora/wb/v29n03/p0231-p0232.pdf