Burung kicau (Songbirds)
Pin-tailed Whydah
Vidua macroura
- langka
- 32 km/h
- Risiko rendah
Breeding males grow four tail feathers up to 20cm long and crash into waxbill nests to lay eggs. Flashy and shameless.
- Populasi
- Global population size not quantified; species described as uncommon overall but locally common to abundant, with a stable population trend
- Habitat
- Open habitats across sub-Saharan Africa — grassland, savanna/shrubland, bushveld, scrub, arable/farmland, pastureland, permanent water courses, and rural gardens/parks; avoids dense forest
- Fakta menarik
- A breeding male Pin-tailed Whydah grows tail plumes roughly 20 cm long — more than double his own 12-13 cm body length — purely for courtship display (including hovering flight displays), then molts them off outside the breeding season; the species is an obligate brood parasite of estrildid finches (especially waxbills), and its chicks mimic the host chicks' gape/mouth markings to trick foster parents into feeding them, without destroying host eggs.
- Sebaran
- Widespread native resident across sub-Saharan Africa (Extent of Occurrence ~26,600,000 km²); introduced/escaped populations established in the USA (southern California), Puerto Rico, Portugal (Aveiro region), and Singapore
- Makanan
- Primarily grass seeds and grain foraged on the ground; supplements with insects (including flying insects such as termites, bees and wasps), especially during the breeding season
- Ukuran
- 0,13 m
- Masa hidup
- 2 tahun
