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The broad-tailed paradise whydah is a species of bird in the family Viduidae. It is found in woodland and acacia savanna habitat in Sub-Saharan Africa from Angola to Uganda, Tanzania and Mozambique. A brood parasite, it has a wide range and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed it as being of least concern.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
ID tip
The breeding male is 31–36 cm (12–14 in) long, and the nonbreeding male and the female are 14–15 cm (5.5–5.9 in) long. Females have been measured to weigh approximately 19.5 g (0.69 oz). The breeding male has long, broad tail feathers with bluntly pointed to rounded tips; it is distinguished from the related long-tailed paradise whydah in the tail feathers being broader and not quite so long, and in the nape being orange-brown toned rather than paler buff. It has a chestnut-orange patch on its nape. The nonbreeding male's underparts are buffy, and its upperparts are grey-brown, with streaks.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in United States, Rwanda.
When to see it
Peak activity in March · a variable species across most of its range
Easily confused with
Sahel Paradise WhydahVidua orientalisThe females are 13–14 cm (5.1–5.5 in) long, tawny above with narrow mantle streaking; in females a dark line extends behind the eye.
Steel-blue WhydahVidua hypocherinaThe steel-blue whydah is a species of bird in the family Viduidae.
Learn the Broad-tailed Paradise Whydah for real
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