Bird Name:

Straw-tailed Whydah

Latin Name:

Vidua fisheri

Status:

Least Concern

Scientific Classification:

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Aves

Order: Passeriformes

Family: Viduidae

Genus: Vidua

Species: V. fischeri

General Information:

The Straw-tailed Whydah is a species native to Africa. They are brood parasites. The males imitate the song of their host, the Purple Grenadier (Uraeginthus ianthinogaster).

Physical Description:

Males have an average length of 28 cm, while females have an average o f 10 cm. Males in breeding plumage are unmistakable with a creamy colored crown, breast and belly. Remaining upperparts are black and they have a bright red bill. They exhibit a straw colored long thin center tail feathers that extend more than the length of their body. The females and non-breeding males are buff colored and streaked with black. They have short blackish tails. Juveniles are similar but with duller coloration.

Diet:

Diet consists of grass and other small seeds, as well as some insects. They tend to forage on the ground.

Habitat:

The Straw-tailed Whydah is found in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. It resides in savannas and dry bush and scrub where it is widespread but not common. Usually it is found in small groups.

Reproduction:

This species uses the strategy of brood-parasitism. They are inter-specific and this only occurs with the Purple Grenadier. The female Straw-tailed Whydah will lay her eggs in the nests of Purple Grenadiers. She will commonly lay only one egg in each host’s nest. She will not harm the host’s eggs like some species. By doing this, the Straw-tailed Whydah escapes the parental investment of raising offspring.