Pin-tailed Whydah - Vidua macroura

Pin-tailed Whydah

Vidua macroura

Order : Passeriformes

Family : Estrildidae ;

Biometrics :

Size : 12 à 13 cm
Wingspan :
Weight : 14 à 19gr

Longevity : 7 years

IUCN conservation status :

Extinct

Threatened

Least
concern

Extinc
in the Wild

Near
threatened

Not
evaluated

EX EW CR EN VU NT LC NE

Geographic range :

Synonyms : Viuda de Cola Aguda (es), Vedova coda a spilli (it), Dominikanerwitwe (al), Dominikaner-wida (nl), Pin-tailed Whydah (en)

Physical description :
Pin-tailed Whydah male adult in breeding plumage has beautiful glossy black plumage on crown, upperparts and on very long tail feathers (about 20 cm). Wings are dark brown with conspicuous white marks. Cheeks, lower parts of face and underparts are white. Bill is bright crimson-red. Eyes are black. Legs and feet are dark.
Male and female in non breeding plumage have brown upperparts, strongly streaked with dark. Underparts are whitish with buff flanks. Buff face is boldly striped with dark. Female has brownish red bill. Male looses its long tail feathers during this period.
Immature resembles female, with rather uniform plumage and greyish bill.

Voice : Pin-tailed Whydah male sings from a perch. Song is a rapid squeaking and chirring.

Habitat : Pin-tailed Whydah is a very common species, and it is the most widespread of the whydahs. We find it wide variety of landscapes: open wooded areas, savannahs, shrubs, undergrowth, cultivated areas and gardens. It is found from sea level to 3000 metres.
GEOGRAPHIC RANGE: Pin-tailed Whydah is endemic to sub-Saharan Africa. It is particularly widespread in the Eastern part of the continent (Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and Tanzania) but its range extends towards Southern Africa as far as South Africa.
We also find this species in Puerto Rico. It was introduced in Hawaii where the species seems to be extinct.

Behaviour : During breeding season, male Pin-tailed Whydah is polygynous. It adopts an aggressive territorial behaviour, and has several females, forming a small group. All other males are chased away from this territory by ritual displays, chasing or real strong fights if necessary. Quarrels between neighbours are very frequent, and obviously used to establish the territories' boundaries.
Male performs complex courtship flight displays, hovering above female to display its wonderful long tail. Male perform its displays at dispersed call-sites, and when female arrives, it bounces in the air with moving tail up and down.
Outside of breeding season, they gather in large flocks, of up to 100 birds or more. Non breeding birds are gregarious, forming groups of up to 20 to 30 birds.

Flight : Pin-tailed Whydah performs wonderful flight display during breeding season, hovering over female for displaying its beautiful long tail. Male hovers in front of her, which is perched on a branch, looking at this agile flight. The fact of flying creates tail feathers waves in the air, giving to this display a dance appearance.

Reproduction-nesting : Pin-tailed Whydah parasitizes other birds, especially Common Waxbill's nests. But female doesn't destroy the host's eggs; she only adds 2 to 4 eggs to the other eggs. Eggs of both species are white and similar. Pin-tailed Whydah's eggs are slightly larger than others.
Pin-tailed Whydah and waxbill chicks have similar mouth pattern, and they copy the young waxbill's, keeping their bills well opened for begging food, but they are larger than waxbill chicks, and they may dominate them. But generally, all the chicks are raised together.
Whereas other Whydahs' species usually parasitize only one host species, Pin-tailed Whydah lays its eggs in several nests' species, belonging to estrildidae family. List may be long.

Food habits : Pin-tailed Whydah feeds mainly on plant matter. It feeds on fallen seeds, while foraging on the ground. It rarely takes seeds directly from the plant. It also scratches the soil with its feet to find buried seeds.
Occasionally, it also consumes small insects, such as termites and their larvae.

Protection / threats : Pin-tailed Whydah is common and widespread.

Other links :
Iucn
Birdlife