Combassou/Village Indigobird Vidua chalybeata

The Combassou is a Whydah or Indigobird, also called the Village Indigobird due to its association with human villages. It is native to much of sub-Saharan Africa. The male has beautiful, glossy, dark blue breeding plumage but looks like any other brown female finch or sparrow in non-breeding plumage. The female has the same finch-like plumage all year.

All Whydahs/Indigobirds are "cuckoos" or brood parasites: they lay their eggs in the nest of a host finch, although they don't destroy their host's eggs. In the case of the Combassou, the Red-billed Firefinch is the chosen host and the young learn its song from the foster father.