Vidua paradisaea
If it wasn’t for the male’s conspicuous tale, which they wear only in the breeding season, it would be very easy to overlook the Long-tailed Paradise Whydah. Females, and non-breeding males, measure about 12cm in length and are decidedly drab, blending perfectly with their environment. But in the breeding season, which spans the summer and autumn months, males sport high contrast colours and a very fancy tail that can measure more than 20cm in length, which certainly makes them stand out even from a distance.
Long-tailed Paradise Whydahs are seed-eaters, supplementing their diet with only the occasional insect, and inhabit grasslands, savannas and open woodland, also venturing into adjacent agricultural fields and villages.
Male Long-tailed Whydahs are territorial and attempt to mate with as many females as possible in a breeding season. Being brood-parasites the females then lie between 1 and 3 eggs in the nests of, especially, the Green-winged Pytilia, The chicks hatch after 11 days and look almost identical to the chicks of the host birds with which they leave the nest about two weeks after hatching, becoming fully independent at about a month old.
In South Africa, the Long-tailed Paradise Whydah occurs from Kwazulu-Natal through Mpumalanga, Limpopo, Gauteng, North West and the Free State to the extreme eastern-most districts of the Northern Cape. Their distribution further stretches from Namibia to Ethiopia and Somalia. According to the IUCN the Long-tailed Paradise Whydah’s conservation status is of least concern.
DeWetsWild 
Thank-you! I love them, and I always wonder at how on earth they manage to fly with those longs!
First off, a hearty welcome to our blog, Kathryn, and we hope you’ll come visiting often!
Indeed, those tails must be such a burden to the males – the lengths they’ll go to to impress the females! (though I suppose most humans also go to quite some lengths to make a catch!)
What a show off! I wish male humans had something extra special to show during the mating season. 😅
You had me in stitches with this comment, Sylvia!
😀
I take it a boep doesn’t count?
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Haha……..🤣
As a birder, I have dreamed of seeing this male in breeding with its glorious tail, studying the field guide, marveling at this wonder. Your photos here are marvelous, and much appreciated.
Comments like yours are what makes this all worthwhile, thank you Jet! And now I’ll try for an even better photo next time we can visit a place they occur.
That’s a really long tail! I wonder if natural evolution favor birds with increasingly longer tails. Thank you for telling us about this bird.
At times the lengths creatures go to to ensure their genes are the ones carried into the future really boggles the mind!
Lovely pics of that spectacular breeding plumage. I had forgotten that they are brood parasites.
Thanks very much, Carol! It is an interesting breeding strategy and I’d like to understand how it evolved.
Yes, me too.
I am always intrigued by the information you provide on those unique residents of your mysterious continent.
Thank you very much, John. We’re more than happy to oblige!
The male Pin-tailed Whydahs around here are beginning to lose their winter tweed coats and are gradually growing into their black-and-white tuxedos. At the moment the lengthening of their tails is observable, although it will be a while before their long black feathers appear.
When seen in the midst of their “transformation” they can often look quite comical – I wonder what the ladies think of them then!?
“Peace for now. I can eat in peace!” is what they think.
😀
The males are quite the lads about town, aren’t they? The tail would make it hard to balance, I’d think.
janet
Exactly the kind of bad boys we spoke about the other day! 😀
I suppose if it brings you “luck” then the difficulty moving and balancing is a small price to pay!
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What a magnificent tail they have. Wow!
Quite showy, hey Siobhan!?
Hello Dries,
What a stunning bird! It’s nice to see the males working so hard for the females 🙂
As always, your posts brighten my day during these uncertain times.
Hoping you and all your family continue to stay safe.
Hi Takami, and nice to receive your ever kind commentary on our post!
We remain blessed and keeping safe. I hope things are looking better in your part of the world as well?
Very interesting bird to photograph. I take it that might not be a fast flier. I think that a long tail like that causes “drag” diminishing the speed. Great post, D. Thank you. 🙂
Those tails are astounding, Dries!
It sure makes the males stand out like a sore thumb!
Wow, that is some silloutte!
True, Robert, thanks
‘…the male’s conspicuous tale, which they wear only in the breeding season,’ Question: so what happens to their tail the rest of the time?
They moult their colourful and flamboyant feathers and become as drab and unremarkable as the females, Lois, only to grow it all over again the next breeding season. So much trouble to make a good impression!
Die flappe het my altyd gevasineer. Hul lyk half lomp met hul lang stervere en tog was hul rats genoeg om te kom waar hul wou wees,
Dit moet tog baie vermoeiend wees om so aan te sukkel, Ineke, maar as dit hom die meeste wyfies in die sak bring is dit seker vir hulle die moeite werd!
Haha beslis. Dan vlieg hul op in die lug al flappende end land op n grashalm wat op en af wieg. Ai dis darem wonderlik hoe m ens se gedagtes sulke episodes kan oproep.