Alternative name: Queen Whydah
- Vidua regia
Identification
Male
Breeding
- Black crown and upperparts
- Golden breast
- Four elongated black tail shaft feathers with expanded tips.
Non-breeding loses the long tail and plumage changes to olive brown (similar to the female)
Distribution
Southern Africa: Southern Angola, Namibia, Botswana, southern Zimbabwe, northern South Africa and southern Mozambique.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1].
Habitat
Open habitats, savanna and thornveld.
Behaviour
Breeding
It is a brood parasite of the Common Grenadier.
Diet
The diet consists mainly of seeds.
References
- Clements, JF. 2009. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2009. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
- Wikipedia
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Shaft-tailed Whydah. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 27 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Shaft-tailed_Whydah
