NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Northern Red Bishop
Euplectes franciscanus (Isert, 1789)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The northern red bishop or orange bishop (Euplectes franciscanus) is a small passerine bird in the family Ploceidae. It is part of the largest genus in the family with over 60 different species. Its sister species is the Southern red bishop (Euplectes orix). This species is most recognizable by the bright reddish orange with contrasting black plumage displayed by the breeding male. It is most common throughout the northern African continent but has also been introduced to areas in the western hemisphere.
Wikipedia contributors, Northern red bishop; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T08:17:42.808637+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Euplectes franciscanus (Isert, 1789)
- Name authority
- (Isert, 1789)
- Common name
- Northern Red Bishop
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Ploceidae
- Genus
- Euplectes
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderPasseriformes
- familyPloceidae Sundevall, 1836
- genusEuplectes Swainson, 1829
- speciesEuplectes franciscanus (Isert, 1789)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Euplectes. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Red-collared WidowbirdEuplectes ardens (Boddaert, 1783) | PloceidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Black BishopEuplectes gierowii Cabanis, 1880 | PloceidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Black-winged Red BishopEuplectes hordeaceus (Linnaeus, 1758) | PloceidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Montane WidowbirdEuplectes psammacromius (Reichenow, 1900) | PloceidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Euplectes macroura (Gmelin, 1789) | PloceidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Long-tailed WidowbirdEuplectes progne (Boddaert, 1783) | PloceidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Zanzibar Red BishopEuplectes nigroventris Cassin, 1848 | PloceidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Red BishopEuplectes orix (Linnaeus, 1758) | PloceidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| White-winged WidowbirdEuplectes albonotatus (Cassin, 1848) | PloceidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Yellow BishopEuplectes capensis (Linnaeus, 1766) | PloceidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=554258 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:6HD8M. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.