Vidua macroura
The Pin-tailed Whydah, *Vidua macroura*, is a striking small passerine bird renowned for its extreme sexual dimorphism during the breeding season. Males in breeding plumage are unmistakable, sporting a dramatically elongated, black central tail that can measure up to 20-30 cm, extending their total length to 34-37 cm, in stark contrast to the female's modest 12-13 cm. Both sexes feature a bright red, conical bill and reddish-orange legs. Breeding males exhibit a glossy black crown, back, and ...
Found in open grasslands, savannas, cultivated lands, suburban gardens, and parks, typically at low to moderate elevations.
Mainly small grass seeds, foraged by gleaning from plants and the ground, supplemented with small insects.
Pin-tailed Whydahs are primarily diurnal, actively foraging during the day and roosting communally in dense vegetation at night, especially outside the breeding season. Their foraging strategy involves gleaning small seeds directly from grass heads or picking them from the ground, occasionally su...
The Pin-tailed Whydah boasts an extensive natural distribution across most of Sub-Saharan Africa, stretching from Senegal and Mauritania in the west, eastward through the Sahel zone to Eritrea and Ethiopia, and southward throughout eastern, central, and southern Africa. Its range extends to the C...
Least Concern
- The breeding male's tail can grow up to three times the length of its body, making it one of the most disproportionately long tails in the bird world. - Pin-tailed Whydahs are obligate brood parasites, meaning they never build their own nests or raise their own young, instead laying their eggs ...