Paradise Whydah

Vidua paradisaea

Other Names

  Eastern Paradise Whydah   Veuve de paradis   Schmalschwanz-Paradieswitwe   Viuda del Paraiso   Paradisänka   Smalstaartparadijswida   Vedova del paradiso

World: Africa: widely occurring S of 10°S except for the very arid SW. N of this it occurs through the East of the continent from E Tanzania, Kenya, NE Uganda to southern Sudan, Ethiopia and western Somalia.

Kenya: Locally common below 1400m in dry wooded habitats and open bush.

Parasitises the Green-winged Pytilia and so the ranges of the 2 birds mostly overlap. In the driest parts of the Green-winged Pytilia's range (Baringo and Tsavo East) the Paradise Whydah is a visitor during wet periods.

Paradise Whydahs are gregarious out of the breeding season but become less so as the breeding season progresses. They remain in small loose flocks at the start of the breeding season but gradually separate out into pairs. The bird pictured above is a male in full breeding plumage. The very long, rather heavy tail is only present in breeding males and makes its flight look rather clumsy and awkward. Out of the breeding season it loses the striking black and gold colouration becoming an somewhat indistinct "little brown job" but with bold black streaks on its head.