Long-tailed Paradise Whydah (Vidua paradisaea) | Photos and ID

LCLeast ConcernSeeds

WoodlandSmall · 20 g

Long-tailed Paradise Whydah (Vidua paradisaea), photo 1 — Photo: le0p0ld_d · CC BY 4.0

Long-tailed Paradise Whydah (Vidua paradisaea), photo 2 — Photo: le0p0ld_d · CC BY 4.0

Long-tailed Paradise Whydah (Vidua paradisaea), photo 5 — Photo: le0p0ld_d · CC BY 4.0

Long-tailed Paradise Whydah (Vidua paradisaea), photo 6 — Photo: (c) nmoorhatch, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY

Long-tailed Paradise Whydah (Vidua paradisaea), photo 7 — Photo: (c) Polina, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY

Long-tailed Paradise Whydah (Vidua paradisaea), photo 8 — Photo: (c) Rosario Douglas, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY

Long-tailed Paradise Whydah (Vidua paradisaea), photo 9 — Photo: (c) Timothy Whitehead, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY

Long-tailed Paradise Whydah (Vidua paradisaea), photo 10 — Photo: (c) Sameer Shaik, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY

ID tip

Breeding male long-tailed paradise whydahs have black heads and back, a rusty coloured breast, a bright buffy-yellow nape, and white abdomen with broad, elongated black tail feathers that can grow up to 36 cm or more. When in non-breeding plumage, males are hard to distinguish from females, and in general, from other Viduidae species, as these differ from one another in size, in non-breeding plumage and colour, and in the songs used for mating.. Usually, they are about 13 cm in length and weigh about 21 grams.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

When to see the Long-tailed Paradise Whydah

One bar for each month. Filled bars are the 7 months with records; pale bars are months with none. The wide bar is February, the month with the most records.

Where to see the Long-tailed Paradise Whydah

Regular rangeRare visitor

The map shades 16 countries with regular records, and 1 more in a lighter tone where the bird turns up only as a stray. Everything unshaded has no records. Countries are listed below the map.

South Africa Namibia Tanzania Kenya Zimbabwe Botswana Zambia Ethiopia Mozambique Malawi Eswatini Uganda Angola Somalia Congo - Kinshasa Rwanda

Recorded as a rare visitor in South Sudan.

About the Long-tailed Paradise Whydah

The long-tailed paradise whydah or eastern paradise whydah is a bird in the family Viduidae of the order Passeriformes. It is a small passerine with a short, stubby bill, found across eastern and southern Africa from Ethiopia south to South Africa and west to Angola. It is mostly granivorous, and feed on seeds that have ripened and fallen on the ground. The ability to distinguish between males and females is quite difficult unless it is breeding season. During this time, the males moult into breeding plumage where they have a distinctive long tail. This can be up to three times longer than its own body or even more.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Easily confused with

Village IndigobirdVidua chalybeataThe village indigobird is 11–12 cm in length.

Shaft-tailed WhydahVidua regiaThe shaft-tailed whydah or queen whydah is a small, sparrow-like bird in the genus Vidua.

Dusky IndigobirdVidua funereaThe dusky indigobird, variable indigobird, or black widowfinch is a species of bird in the family Viduidae.

Side by side: Long-tailed Paradise Whydah vs Pin-tailed Whydah · Long-tailed Paradise Whydah vs Village Indigobird

Learn the Long-tailed Paradise Whydah in the BeakBrain App

Photo and call practice. Coming soon to iPhone and Android.

Play today's Daily Bird

Every photo and recording on this page is credited to its author under the licence shown. Spotted a problem with this page, or have a better photo? Contribute.