Red-collared Widowbird

ID tip

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

When to see the Red-collared Widowbird

One bar for each month. Filled bars are the 9 months with records; pale bars are months with none. The wide bar is January, the month with the most records.

Where to see the Red-collared Widowbird

The map shades 24 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.

Recorded as a rare visitor in Côte d’Ivoire.

About the Red-collared Widowbird

The red-collared widowbird is a species of bird in the family Ploceidae. Red-collared widowbirds are found in grasslands and bush clearings in western and southern Africa. They are known for their long tails and brilliant red badges, both of which act as sexual ornaments. They are often associated with other widowbird and bishop species. They are polygynous, where males acquisition of territory is an important determinant in their access to mates. Red-collared widowbirds have a wide range and there is little concern in terms of conservation status.

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

Easily confused with

Fan-tailed WidowbirdEuplectes axillarisThe fan-tailed widowbird, also known as the red-shouldered widowbird, is a species of bird in the family Ploceidae, which is native to grassy and swampy areas of the tropical and subtropical Afrotropics. White-winged WidowbirdEuplectes albonotatusThe white-winged widowbird is 15 to 19 cm (5.9–7.5 in) in length and about 23 g (0.81 oz) in weight. Yellow-crowned BishopEuplectes aferThe yellow-crowned bishop is 95 to 105 mm (3.7–4.1 in) in length and 15 g (0.53 oz) in weight.

Side by side: Red-collared Widowbird vs Southern Red Bishop · Long-tailed Widowbird vs Red-collared Widowbird · Red-collared Widowbird vs White-winged Widowbird · Red-collared Widowbird vs Yellow-crowned Bishop