Eastern Paradise Whydah
Encyclopedia
The Long-tailed Paradise Whydah or Eastern Paradise Whydah, Vidua paradisaea, is a small brown sparrow
-like bird of Eastern Africa, from east Sudan
to south Angola
. During the breeding season the male molts into breeding plumage that consists of a black head and back, rusty brown breast, bright yellow nape, and buffy white abdomen with broad, elongated black tail feathers up to 36 cm long (approximately three times the length of its body). Males and females are almost indistinguishable outside of the breeding season.
It is a brood parasite
to the Green-winged Pytilia
. Male Long-tailed Paradise Whydahs imitate the song of the male Green-winged Pytilia. The whydah
chicks are larger and louder than the host chicks, so the foster parents will give them more attention instead of their own chicks.
Although difficult to breed in captivity because of their brood parasitic nature, these finches, particularly the males, are sold as pets in the United States and other countries. When breeding these birds in captivity, a single male is usually given access to multiple females and each female needs access to multiple active Green-winged Pytilia nests.
Widespread throughout its large range, the Long-tailed Paradise Whydah is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List
of Threatened Species.
Sparrow
The sparrows are a family of small passerine birds, Passeridae. They are also known as true sparrows, or Old World sparrows, names also used for a genus of the family, Passer...
-like bird of Eastern Africa, from east Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
to south Angola
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
. During the breeding season the male molts into breeding plumage that consists of a black head and back, rusty brown breast, bright yellow nape, and buffy white abdomen with broad, elongated black tail feathers up to 36 cm long (approximately three times the length of its body). Males and females are almost indistinguishable outside of the breeding season.
It is a brood parasite
Brood parasite
Brood parasites are organisms that use the strategy of brood parasitism, a kind of kleptoparasitism found among birds, fish or insects, involving the manipulation and use of host individuals either of the same or different species to raise the young of the brood-parasite...
to the Green-winged Pytilia
Green-winged Pytilia
The Green-winged Pytilia is a common species of estrildid finch found in Africa. It has an estimated global extent of occurrence of .It is found in most of Africa south of the Sahara...
. Male Long-tailed Paradise Whydahs imitate the song of the male Green-winged Pytilia. The whydah
Whydah
Whydah may refer in English to:* The Viduidae birds, also called indigobirds* Ouidah, city and colonial fort in present Benin* Kingdom of Whydah, which included Ouidah but was headquartered in Savi...
chicks are larger and louder than the host chicks, so the foster parents will give them more attention instead of their own chicks.
Although difficult to breed in captivity because of their brood parasitic nature, these finches, particularly the males, are sold as pets in the United States and other countries. When breeding these birds in captivity, a single male is usually given access to multiple females and each female needs access to multiple active Green-winged Pytilia nests.
Widespread throughout its large range, the Long-tailed Paradise Whydah is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List
IUCN Red List
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species , founded in 1963, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature is the world's main authority on the conservation status of species...
of Threatened Species.
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