Pin-tailed Whydah

Overview

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

Identification

• Breeding males feature a black back and crown, white underparts, and dark brown wings with white patches, along with a long black tail extending 20 cm.
• Females and non-breeding males have streaked brown upperparts, whitish underparts with buff flanks, and a buff and black face pattern.
• Both sexes retain a bright red bill, though immature birds possess a greyish bill.
• The song is delivered from a high perch and consists of rapid squeaking and churring.

Habitat

This species favours grassland, scrubs and savannah in sub-Saharan Africa, occasionally venturing into parks and gardens. It has established populations in specific regions of Portugal and has been introduced to southern California, Puerto Rico and Singapore.

Diet

The diet of the pin-tailed whydah consists of seeds and grain.

Did you know?

As a brood parasite, the whydah lays its eggs in the nests of estrildid finches but, unlike the common cuckoo, it does not destroy the host's eggs, typically adding two to four of its own. The nestling whydahs mimic the gape pattern of the host species' fledglings to ensure they are fed.