The broad-tailed paradise whydah (Vidua obtusa ) is a species of bird in the family Viduidae. It is found 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.
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
Oviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
Flocking birds are those that tend to gather to forage or travel collectively. Avian flocks are typically associated with migration. Flocking also ...
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Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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starts withThe 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 tail feathers with rounded tips. It has a chestnut-orange patch on its nape. The nonbreeding male's underparts are buffy, and its upperparts are grey-brown, with streaks. There are black and white stripes on its head. The female is similar to the nonbreeding male. The immature bird resembles the female, but some of its feathers have buffy edges, and its patterns are less distinct.
This whydah is found in Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, with an estimated distribution size of 5,060,000 km2 (1,950,000 sq mi). Approximately half of the range overlaps with the range of the long-tailed paradise whydah. The broad-tailed paradise whydah's habitat is woodlands, including miombo and Baikiaea plurijuga woodland, and also acacia savannas.
The broad-tailed paradise whydah is a brood parasite, its host being the orange-winged pytilia (Pytilia afra ). The host species only weighs 14–15 g (0.49–0.53 oz) and is thus at a disadvantage. It mimics the host species's call. It feeds on the ground in small flocks, eating seeds. When the broad-tailed paradise whydah is not breeding, it may mix with the long-tailed paradise whydah. Breeding plumage has been observed from February to July in the southeastern Congo Basin. The eggs are white, weighing approximately 1.6 g (0.056 oz). Newborn chicks have loose greyish down, very similar to chicks of the orange-winged pytilia. The incubation period and nestling period are unknown. Irruptions can occur; in 1994, an "invasion" of thousands of whydahs was reported in Kasane, Botswana.
