Shaft-tailed whydah
| Shaft-tailed whydah | |
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| File:Whydah Shaft-tailed 2007 0107 1225 15AA.jpg | |
| Male in breeding plumage | |
| Scientific classification | |
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V. regia
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| Binomial name | |
| Vidua regia (Linnaeus, 1766)
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The shaft-tailed whydah or queen whydah (Vidua regia) is a small, sparrow-like bird in the genus Vidua. During the breeding season the male has black crown and upper body plumage, golden breast and four elongated black tail shaft feathers with expanded tips. After the breeding season is over, the male sheds its long tail and grows olive brown female-like plumage.
The shaft-tailed whydah is distributed in open habitats and grasslands of Southern Africa, from south Angola to south Mozambique. It is a brood parasite to the violet-eared waxbill. The diet consists mainly of seeds.
Widespread and a common species throughout its large habitat range, the shaft-tailed whydah is evaluated as least concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
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Whydah Shaft-tailed 2007 0107 1231 40AA.jpg
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Whydah Shaft-tailed 2007 0107 1231 05AB.jpg
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Shaft-tailed Whydah (Vidua regia) (7000402705).jpg
References
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
External links
- Shaft-tailed whydah - Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds.
