Is the Pin-tailed Whydah a finch?

The Pin-tailed Whydah is a beautiful finch with a stubby bill. The male has distinctive breeding plumage, principally clad in black and white with a bright red bill and long tail plumes. Pin-tailed whydahs are described as hardy, generally gentle birds, but the male can be aggressive and territorial in breeding season.

What do Whydah birds eat?

Diet / Feeding The Pin-tailed Whydah primarily forages on the ground for various seeds and grain. They will also feed on insects, such as butterflies, bees, wasps, locusts and ants.

What does a Pin-tailed Whydah eat?

The Pin-tailed Whydah feeds mainly on seeds, with flying termites making up a small part of their diet.

What is a Whydah bird?

whydah, also spelled Whidah, orWydah, also called Widowbird, any of several African birds that have long dark tails suggesting a funeral veil. They belong to two subfamilies, Viduinae and Ploceinae, of the family Ploceidae (order Passeriformes).

How do you say Whydah?

Break ‘whydah’ down into sounds: [WY] + [DUH] – say it out loud and exaggerate the sounds until you can consistently produce them.

Do Pin-Tailed Whydahs lose their tails?

As winter approaches however, birds like the Pin-Tailed Whydah will lose their bright colours and long tail streamers as they moult into their non-breeding plumage.

Does a Pin-tailed Whydah lose its tail?

All of a sudden the forest and woodland and wetlands became quiet and peaceful, the Pin-tailed Whydah now had a short tail just like the female and all was well once again. Each year the Pin-tailed Whydah’s tail grows back and he reverts to his old noisy self, but the falcon is nearby and will de-plume him once again.

Does a Whydah lose its tail?

“They’ll try breeding and mating and sneaking their eggs into another bird’s nest, and at some point they might succeed,” he said. People buy pin-tailed whydahs as pets. But males and females paired together make poor feathered companions. When not breeding the male loses his elaborate tail feathers.

What is the name of a small bird with a long tail?

The red-billed streamertail, which is found in Jamaica, is a hummingbird that features a long tail. A good number of hummingbirds have long tails, but streamertail hummingbirds stand out. The males of these little birds have exceptionally long rectrices.

What do pin-tailed Whydahs eat?

Pin-tailed Whydah feeds mainly on seeds and insects. They forage is small groups with one long-tailed male and several females, and non-breeding youngs. This bird forages on the ground by moving jerkily backwards on tarsi, and pecking quickly at disturbed ground. It often drinks at roadside pools.

Where do Whydah finches live?

Open grasslands and savannahs with scattered bushes and trees, especially near water, forest clearings, along tropical rivers, gardens and cultivated areas. Whydahs are avian brood parasites and require specific species of finches to raise their offspring.

Do pin-tailed whydahs live in flocks?

Pin-tailed Whydahs tend to live in flocks off-season. Because Pin-tailed whydahs (males in particular) can bully other finches in a mixed aviary, the aviary companions should be larger birds which can hold their ground, such as weavers, Java sparrows, and cut-throats.

What is a Whydah?

Whydahs are avian brood parasites and require specific species of finches to raise their offspring. Whydahs do not build their own nests, but rather deposit their eggs in the nests of other species which act as hosts.

What time of year do whydahs breed?

Pin-tailed whydahs have reportedly hybridized with the village indigobird and variable indigobird. Above the equator, males enter breeding plumage from about May to November; below the equator, breeding plumage occurs between October and June. Timing of breeding activity varies by region: Southern Africa: October-March.