Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu - Uraeginthus bengalus bengalus
The Gambia - November 2018
The Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu’s range is restricted to the drier parts of Sub-Saharan Africa. There are four subspecies of Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu, the one shown here is the nominate form which is found in the northern part of the species range. The species name “bengalus” reflects the fact that the original description of the species was made based on a specimen which was thought to be from Bengal, India - mistakenly. Some names honor people, some are reminders to check the facts. These video framegrabs are from a recordings made in The Gambia during November 2018 - video link.
