Least Concern Birds

Long-tailed Paradise Whydah

Vidua paradisaea

Long-tailed Paradise Whydah eats seeds and insects in African grasslands and farms.

Scientific name	Vidua paradisaea
Conservation status	Least Concern
Class	Aves
Order	Passeriformes
Family	Viduidae
Size	Male: total length approximately 16-18 cm (including long tail feathers), weight about 15-20 g; Female: length about 10-12 cm, weight 12-15 g

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How to identify

Males in breeding season have extremely long tail feathers; plumage mainly black and white, head glossy; females have duller coloration, mainly brown and gray; males have shorter tails outside breeding season; tail is visibly trailing during flight.

Habitat

Open grasslands, sparsely wooded savannas, edges of shrubs, and near farmland

Diet

Primarily seeds, occasionally insects and other small invertebrates

When it is active

Diurnal, active during the day

Where it lives

Widely distributed in sub-Saharan Africa, including Kenya and the Masai Mara region

How to spot it

Look for males with long tail feathers during breeding season in open grasslands or shrub edges at dawn or dusk; pay attention to tail features during flight