Pin-tailed whydah

Pin-tailed whydah
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Viduidae
Genus:	Vidua
Species:	V. macroura
Binomial name
Vidua macroura (Pallas, 1764)

The pin-tailed whydah (Vidua macroura) is a small songbird with a conspicuous pennant-like tail in breeding males. It is a resident breeding bird in most of Africa south of the Sahara Desert.

Description

Female at Johannesburg Botanical Garden

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. The female and non-breeding male have streaked brown upperparts, whitish underparts with buff flanks, and a buff and black face pattern. They lack the long tail extension, but retain the red bill. Immature birds are like the female but plainer and with a greyish bill.^[2]

Distribution and habitat

The pin-tailed whydah occurs in much of sub-Saharan Africa, favouring grassland, scrubs and savannah, also coming into parks and gardens.^[2] It has also been introduced to southern California, Puerto Rico, and Singapore.^[1]

Ecology

M in breeding plumage

The species is a brood parasite which lays its eggs in the nests of estrildid finches, especially waxbills. Unlike the common cuckoo, it does not destroy the host's eggs. Typically, 2-4 eggs are added to those already present. The eggs of both the host and the firefinch are white, although the whydah's are slightly larger. The nestling whydahs mimic the gape pattern of the fledglings of the host species.^[3]

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. The song is given from a high perch, and consists of rapid squeaking and churring. The diet of this species consists of seeds and grain.^[2][3]

References

1. BirdLife International (2012). "Vidua macroura". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
2. SInclair, Ian; Hockey, Phil; Tarboton, Warwick; Ryan, Peter (2011). Sasol Birds of Southern Africa (4th ed.). Cape Town: Struik Nature.
3. "The Pin-Tailed Whydah - Fact Sheet". Finch Information Center.

Further reading

Pin-tailed whydah - Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds.

External links

• Pin-tailed whydah videos, photos & sounds on the Internet Bird Collection