Jackson's Widowbird

Euplectes jacksoni

Other Names

    Euplecte de Jackson   Leierschwanzwida     Jacksons vidafink   Lierstaartwidavink   Vedova di Jackson

World: Endemic to NE Tanzania and Kenya.

Kenya: Open grassland between 1500-3000m in south-western and central Kenya and is quite common in some parts of the Maasai Mara.

For most of the year Jackson's Widowbird is just another small, brown, streaked, little bird. Its most distinctive feature is its pink bill and feet. Then comes the breeding season when your most likely view of this bird is what seems to be bundle of black feathers, shooting straight out of the long grass several feet in the air and then falling back again. The males prepare a circular display area by trampling the grass and within this arena they perform an elaborate dance consisting of swaying, hopping and jumping accompanied by a sizzling song and rattling wing accompaniment. All this is achieved while holding the majority of the tail feathers cocked forward over its back. Once a whole colony gets going it really is a most bizarre sight - sort of like synchronised feather duster trampolining!