Long-tailed paradise whydah

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Long-tailed paradise whydah
Long-tailed paradise-whydah (Vidua paradisaea) male.jpg
Male, Chobe National Park, Botswana
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Viduidae
Genus: Vidua
Species:
V. paradisaea
Binomial name
Vidua paradisaea
Long-tailed paradise whydah range map.png
      resident range
Synonyms

Emberiza paradisaeaLinnaeus, 1758

The long-tailed paradise whydah or eastern paradise whydah (Vidua paradisaea) is from the family Viduidae of the order Passeriformes. They are small passerines with short, stubby bills found across Sub-Saharan Africa. They are mostly granivorous and feed on seeds that have ripen and fall on the ground. The ability to distinguish between males and females is quite difficult unless it is breeding season. During this time, the males molt into breeding plumage where they have one distinctive feature which is their long tail. It can grow up to three times longer than its own body or even more. Usually, the whydahs look like ordinary sparrows with short tails during the non-breeding season. In addition, hybridization can occur with these paradise whydahs. Males are able to mimic songs where females can use that to discover their mate. However, there are some cases where females don't use songs to choose their mate but they use either male characteristics like plumages or they can have a shortage of options with song mimicry. Paradise whydahs are brood parasites. They won't destroy the eggs that are originally there but will lay their own eggs in other songbirds nest. Overall, these whydahs are considered least concerned based on the IUCN Red List of threatened species.

Contents

Taxonomy and systematics

The long-tailed paradise whydah was formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae under the binomial name Emberiza paradisaea. [2] It is now placed in the genus Vidua that was introduced by the French naturalist Georges Cuvier in 1816. [3]

The long-tailed paradise whydahs are brood-parasitic birds along with the rest of the species in the family Viduidae. Primary host species include the Viduidae and the Estrildidae, also known as the waxbills. They diverged about 20 million years ago. [4] Most have included Viduidae within Estrilididae or Ploceidae (weavers) in a subfamily of its own. [5] Similarly, Anomalospiza have been switched around between the two families and have not been linked with Vidua. [5] However, studies has shown that the skull, the bony palate, the horny palate and the pterylosis are some of the morphological characters that support a close relationship between Anomalospiza and Vidua which are different from the weavers. [4] Indigobirds are also part of the family Viduidae. The long-tailed whydah's relationship with the indigobirds are not very well-known. The indigobirds are more closely related to the straw-tailed whydah based on their phylogenetic relationship where researchers analyzed mitochondrial restriction sites and nucleotide sequences. [4]

Description

Viduidae species differ from one another in size, in breeding plumage and color, and in the songs used for mating. [4] These long-tailed paradise whydahs are hard to distinguish between males and females. Usually these paradise whydah finches grow to about 13 centimeters in length and weigh about 21 grams. [4] Female whydahs tend to have a grey bill and feathers that are greyish-brown with blackish streaks along with their under tail feather being more white. [4] Similarly, males during the non-breeding season tend to have mostly browner plumage with black stripes on the crown, black parts along the face, and deeper brown color for the chest and creamer color for the abdomen [4] However, breeding males have black heads and back, the rusty colored breast, a bright yellow nape, and white abdomen with broad, elongated black tail feathers that can grow up to 36 centimeters or more. [4]

Distribution and habitat

The long-tailed paradise whydahs are found in grassland, savanna and open woodland where they live in bushed grassland around cultivation. [4] Majority of the time, these whydahs stay away from surface waters. [4]

Behavior and ecology

The long-tailed paradise whydah are known to be brood parasites where they would lay their eggs in nests of other songbirds. [4] [6] Furthermore, they usually roost together in flocks during both breeding and non-breeding seasons. [4] Males develop the ability to mimic songs of their host. [7] [8] Studies showed that female whydahs respond more strongly to songs mimicked by males of their own species than they do to closely related species. [9] [10] [11] Females use this mimicry to eliminate among potential mates and prefer those raised by the same host species. [8] [12] Researchers discovered that hybridization can occur when female whydahs do not choose mates based on their song mimicry but instead on male traits such as plumage and flight displays if it is more important to them than song, or is restricted by the availability of males singing the appropriate host songs or if males is involved with unsolicited copulation with females of other parasitic species. [8] [13] [14] Researchers discovered that these paradise whydahs mimic the songs of Melba Finch. [8] [7]

Long-tailed paradise whydah foraging for seeds on the ground Long-tailed Paradise-Whydah (Vidua paradisea) and Cut-throat Finches (Amadina fasciata) (6046350546).jpg
Long-tailed paradise whydah foraging for seeds on the ground

Additionally, these paradise whydahs are granivorous where they feed on small seed that ripen and fall on the ground. [4] For foraging, these finches use something called “double scratch” where they utilize both of their feet almost simultaneously scratching the ground to find seeds in dust and hop backwards to pick up the seed. [4] Another technique they use is their tongue. They would dehusks grass seeds with their bill rolling the seeds with their tongue one at a time back and forth against the ridge of the palate. [4]

Relationship to humans

Whydahs in general are known to be kept as cage birds for their song and colorful breeding plumage for many years. [4] In 1581, a renaissance scholar named Michel de Montaigne visited Florence where he was able to see these paradise whydahs in the Medici aviaries. [4] He described them with la cue deus longues plumes comme celles d’un chapon which in translation meant “a tail of two long plumes like those of a rooster”. [4] Ligozzi, a chief botanical painter of the Medici aviaries, illustrated a painting of the common fig where people later identified that the two birds in the painting were actually the paradise whydah and the indigobird. [4] Other than the beauty, the paradise whydahs can be a nuisance especially for farmers. For instance, in the highlands of Guinea and Sierra Leone, these paradise whydahs feed on small seeds of cultivated fonio which is known as “acha” or “hungry rice” before they can be harvested and that also happens to be the first food source available to the human inhabitants after the season of rains. [4]

Status

Widespread throughout its large range, the long-tailed paradise whydah is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Viduidae</span> Family of birds

The indigobirds and whydahs, together with the cuckoo-finch, make up the family Viduidae; they are small passerine birds native to Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Estrildidae</span> Family of birds

Estrildidae, or estrildid finches, is a family of small seed-eating passerine birds of the Old World tropics and Australasia. They comprise species commonly known as munias, mannikins, firefinches, parrotfinches and waxbills. Despite the word "finch" being included in the common names of some species, they are not closely related to birds with this name in other families, such as the Fringillidae, Emberizidae or Passerellidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australian zebra finch</span> Species of bird

The Australian zebra finch is the most common estrildid finch of Central Australia. It ranges over most of the continent, avoiding only the cool humid south and some areas of the tropical far north. The bird has been introduced to Puerto Rico and Portugal. Due to the ease of keeping and breeding the zebra finch in captivity, it has become Australia’s most widely studied bird; by 2010, it was the most studied captive model passerine species worldwide, by a considerable margin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brood parasitism</span> Subclass of parasitism, phenomenon that an animal relies on other inidivids to raise its young.

Brood parasitism is a subclass of parasitism and phenomenon and behavioural pattern of certain animals, brood parasites, that rely on others to raise their young. The strategy appears among birds, insects and fish. The brood parasite manipulates a host, either of the same or of another species, to raise its young as if it were its own, usually using egg mimicry, with eggs that resemble the host's.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Village indigobird</span> Species of bird

The village indigobird, also known as the steelblue widowfinch or the Combassou finch, is a small songbird belonging to the family Viduidae. It is distinguishable from other indigobird species by bill and leg colours, the colour tinge of the male's breeding plumage, song, and to lesser extent, the nestling's plumage and mouth pattern. The bill colour can be red or white depending on the population, and there is some regional variation in the colour tone of the male's plumage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pin-tailed whydah</span> Species of bird

The pin-tailed whydah is a small songbird with a conspicuous pennant-like tail in breeding males. It is a resident breeding bird in most of Africa south of the Sahara Desert.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shaft-tailed whydah</span> Species of bird

The shaft-tailed whydah or queen whydah 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rock firefinch</span> Species of bird

The rock firefinch is a species of estrildid finch found in the Jos Plateau of central Nigeria and in Cameroon. It has an estimated global extent of occurrence of 29,000 km2. The rock firefinch was discovered recently, in 1998. Rock firefinches fall in the family Estrildidae, which contains small passerine birds of the Old World and Australasia. Rock firefinches seem to be most closely related to Mali firefinches and Chad firefinches. The species name sanguinodorsalis means blood-red back, which was chosen because it describes the vibrant red back color of the male plumage. The status of the species is evaluated as Least Concern.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cuckoo-finch</span> Species of bird

The cuckoo-finch, also known as the parasitic weaver or cuckoo weaver, is a small passerine bird now placed in the family Viduidae with the indigobirds and whydahs. It occurs in grassland in Africa south of the Sahara. The male is mainly yellow and green while the female is buff with dark streaks. They lay their eggs in the nests of other birds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Exclamatory paradise whydah</span> Species of bird

The exclamatory paradise whydah or Uelle paradise whydah is a species of bird in the family Viduidae. It is also known as the long-tailed paradise whydah, a name which may also refer to the related species Vidua paradisaea.

The barka indigobird is a species of bird in the family Viduidae. It is found in Cameroon, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Nigeria, Sudan, and South Sudan. It is also known as the baka indigobird but the spelling "barka" is more correct; the word is a greeting in the Hausa language.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Broad-tailed paradise whydah</span> Species of bird

The broad-tailed paradise whydah is a species of bird in the family Viduidae. It is found woodland and acacia savanna habitat in Sub-Saharan Africa from Angola to Uganda, Tanzania and Mozambique. A brood parasite, it has a wide range and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed it as being of least concern.

The Cameroon indigobird is a species of bird in the family Viduidae. It is considered by some authors to be a subspecies of the variable indigobird. They range from Sierra Leone to east Cameroon, north east Zaire and South Sudan.

The quailfinch indigobird is a small songbird. It is a resident breeding bird in The Gambia, Nigeria and Cameroon. It occurs in isolated localities, especially on river flood plains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sahel paradise whydah</span> Species of bird

The Sahel paradise whydah, yellow-naped whydah or northern paradise whydah is a small songbird.

Five species of indigobird are known as paradise whydah:

References

  1. ↑ BirdLife International (2018). "Vidua paradisaea". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2018: e.T22720012A132135621. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22720012A132135621.en . Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  2. ↑ Linnaeus, Carl (1758). Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis (in Latin). Vol. 1 (10th ed.). Holmiae (Stockholm): Laurentii Salvii. p. 178.
  3. ↑ Cuvier, Georges (1816). Le Règne animal distribué d'après son organisation : pour servir de base a l'histoire naturelle des animaux et d'introduction a l'anatomie comparée (in French). Vol. 1. Paris: Déterville. pp. 388–389.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 John, Roy (2011-01-01). ""Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 15. Weavers to New World Warblers" edited by Josep del Hoyo et al. 2008. [book review]". The Canadian Field-Naturalist. 125 (1): 83. doi: 10.22621/cfn.v125i1.1139 . ISSN   0008-3550.
  5. 1 2 Chapin, James P. (October 1929). "Nomenclature and Systematic Position of the Paradise Whydahs". The Auk. 46 (4): 474–484. doi: 10.2307/4076183 . ISSN   0004-8038. JSTOR   4076183.
  6. ↑ Payne, Robert B.; Payne, Laura L.; Woods, Jean L.; Sorenson, Michael D. (January 2000). "Imprinting and the origin of parasite–host species associations in brood-parasitic indigobirds, Vidua chalybeata". Animal Behaviour. 59 (1): 69–81. doi:10.1006/anbe.1999.1283. ISSN   0003-3472. PMID   10640368. S2CID   22363915.
  7. 1 2 PAYNE, ROBERT B; PAYNE, LAURA L; WOODS, JEAN L (June 1998). "Song learning in brood-parasitic indigobirdsVidua chalybeata: song mimicry of the host species". Animal Behaviour. 55 (6): 1537–1553. doi:10.1006/anbe.1997.0701. ISSN   0003-3472. PMID   9641999. S2CID   17693319.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Payne, Robert B.; Sorenson, Michael D. (2004). "Behavioral and Genetic Identification of a Hybrid Vidua: Maternal Origin and Mate Choice in a Brood-Parasitic Finch". The Auk. 121 (1): 156. doi:10.1642/0004-8038(2004)121[0156:bagioa]2.0.co;2. ISSN   0004-8038. S2CID   84524204.
  9. ↑ Payne, Robert B. (1980). Behavior and Songs of Hybrid Parasitic Finches. OCLC   869799441.
  10. ↑ Payne, Robert B. (January 1973). "Behavior, Mimetic Songs and Song Dialects, and Relationships of the Parasitic Indigobirds (Vidua) of Africa". Ornithological Monographs (11): ii–333. doi:10.2307/40166751. ISSN   0078-6594. JSTOR   40166751. S2CID   84118406.
  11. ↑ Payne, R.B. (November 1973). "Vocal mimicry of the paraside whydahs (Vidua) and response of female whydahs to the songs of their hosts (Pytilia) and their mimics". Animal Behaviour. 21 (4): 762–771. doi:10.1016/s0003-3472(73)80102-2. ISSN   0003-3472.
  12. ↑ Oakes, Edward J.; Barnard, Phoebe (October 1994). "Fluctuating asymmetry and mate choice in paradise whydahs, Vidua paradisaea: an experimental manipulation". Animal Behaviour. 48 (4): 937–943. doi:10.1006/anbe.1994.1319. ISSN   0003-3472. S2CID   53195903.
  13. ↑ Grant, Peter R.; Grant, B. Rosemary (January 1997). "Hybridization, Sexual Imprinting, and Mate Choice". The American Naturalist. 149 (1): 1–28. doi:10.1086/285976. ISSN   0003-0147. S2CID   83665115.
  14. ↑ Barnard, Phoebe (April 1990). "Male tail length, sexual display intensity and female sexual response in a parasitic African finch". Animal Behaviour. 39 (4): 652–656. doi:10.1016/s0003-3472(05)80376-8. ISSN   0003-3472. S2CID   54339389.
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