BEHAVIOUR: Pin-tailed Whydah feeds mainly on seeds and insects. They forage is small groups with one long-tailed male and several females, and non-breeding youngs. This bird forages on the ground by moving jerkily backwards on tarsi, and pecking quickly at disturbed ground.
What does a Whydah look like?
The pin-tailed whydah is 12–13 cm in length, although the breeding male’s tail adds another 20 cm to this. The adult male has a black back and crown, and a very long black tail. The wings are dark brown with white patches, and the underparts and the head, apart from the crown, are white. The bill is bright red.
What type of creature is a whydah?
The long-tailed paradise whydah or eastern paradise whydah (Vidua paradisaea) is from the family Viduidae of the order Passeriformes. They are small passerines with short, stubby bills found across Sub-Saharan Africa….
| Long-tailed paradise whydah | |
|---|---|
| Family: | Viduidae |
| Genus: | Vidua |
| Species: | V. paradisaea |
| Binomial name |
Is the Pin-tailed Whydah a finch?
The Pin-tailed Whydah is a beautiful finch with a stubby bill. The male has distinctive breeding plumage, principally clad in black and white with a bright red bill and long tail plumes.
Does the Pin-tailed Whydah migrate?
Even though a large number of bird species migrate north in our winter we are still left with a number of beautiful birds that reside here all year round. As winter approaches however, birds like the Pin-Tailed Whydah will lose their bright colours and long tail streamers as they moult into their non-breeding plumage.
Which is the longest tailed bird?
ribbon-tailed astrapia
In fact, the ribbon-tailed astrapia has the longest tail feathers in relation to body size of any bird. Found in the western part of the central highlands of Papua New Guinea, the species is listed as near threatened in part because it is hunted for these very tail feathers.
What is a Whydah bird?
whydah, also spelled Whidah, orWydah, also called Widowbird, any of several African birds that have long dark tails suggesting a funeral veil. They belong to two subfamilies, Viduinae and Ploceinae, of the family Ploceidae (order Passeriformes).
Why is it called a Whydah?
whydah, also spelled Whidah, orWydah, also called Widowbird, any of several African birds that have long dark tails suggesting a funeral veil. The name is associated with Whydah (Ouidah), a town in Benin where the birds are common.
What is the meaning of Whydah?
: any of various mostly brownish African passerine birds (genera Euplectes and Vidua) often kept as cage birds and distinguished in the male by black-and-white plumage and by long tail feathers during the breeding season.
Does the pin-tailed Whydah migrate?
What do Cape Sugarbirds eat?
nectar
The Cape sugarbird is a specialist nectar feeder when it comes to feeding off Proteaceae. Its long, sharp beak is used to reach the nectar of a variety of species of protea with its long brush-tipped tongue. The staple diet of this sugarbird is nectar; however, it will also eat spiders and insects.
Why does the Pin-tailed Whydah chase other birds away?
They can be a pest as they try to chase away all other birds from their territory. During this time the male Pin-tailed Whydah seems to have an unlimited supply of energy as it courts females and chases away other birds.
What is an indigobirds and Whydah?
The indigobirds and whydahs, together with the cuckoo-finch, make up the family Viduidae; they are small passerine birds native to Africa . These are finch-like species which usually have black or indigo predominating in their plumage. The birds named “whydahs” have long or very long tails in the breeding male.
What kind of bird is a paradise whydah?
The long-tailed paradise whydah or eastern paradise whydah ( Vidua paradisaea) is a small brown sparrow -like bird of Eastern Africa, from eastern South Sudan to southern Angola. During the breeding season the male moults into breeding plumage that consists of a black head and back, rusty brown breast,…
What kind of bird is a whyda?
The long-tailed paradise whydahs are brood-parasitic birds along with the rest of the species in the family Viduidae. Primary host species include the Viduidae and the Estrildidae, also known as the waxbills. They diverged about 20 million years ago. Most have included Viduidae within Estrilididae or Ploceidae (weavers) in a subfamily of its own.
The nestling whydahs mimic the gape pattern of the fledglings of the host species. The male pin-tailed whydah is territorial, and one male often has several females in his small group. He has an elaborate courtship flight display, which includes hovering over the female to display his tail.
