Sahel paradise whydah
Sahel paradise whydah | |
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A Sahel paradise whydah (male), photographed in The Gambia in December 2021 | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Passeriformes |
Family: | Viduidae |
Genus: | Vidua |
Species: | V. orientalis
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Binomial name | |
Vidua orientalis Heuglin, 1870
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The Sahel paradise whydah, yellow-naped whydah or northern paradise whydah (Vidua orientalis) is a small songbird.
Taxonomy
Vidua orientalis has often been considered a subspecies of
Subspecies
- Vidua orientalis orientalis (from Chad to Sudan and Eritrea.) [2]
- Vidua orientalis kadugliensis
- Vidua orientalis aucupum (from Senegal to northwestern Nigeria) [2]
Distribution and habitat
Vidua orientalis is a resident breeding bird in west Africa. It lives in open acacia savannah with scattered trees.[3]
Description
The males in breeding plumage have black back and wings, with a rufous breast. The head is black, with a chestnut nape and a black bill. The dual-length ornamental tail feathers are black. These tail feathers can reach a length of 195–244 millimetres (7.7–9.6 in) and a width of 24–32 millimetres (0.94–1.26 in). Feet are dark grayish. When in eclipse (non-breeding) plumage, the males are similar to the hen, as they are tawny above with narrow mantle streaking. In females a dark line extends behind the eye. Juveniles are quite similar to the hens.[3]
Biology and behavior
The Sahel paradise whydah does not build its own nests, but