Red-collared Widowbird

Euplectes ardens (Boddaert, 1783)

25 cmLength19 gWeight

The red-collared widowbird (Euplectes ardens) is a species of bird in the family Ploceidae.

Busiest months: November–January · Most records: South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania

Least Concern

Where and when it's recorded

Red-collared Widowbird has been recorded at 198 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 19 countries and regions.

Records by month Southern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

Nairobi NPKenya798 records
Rietvlei NRSouth Africa548 records
Ngorongoro Conservation Area – Ngorongoro CraterTanzania307 records

More places

Suikerbosrand NRSouth Africa307 records
Walter Sisulu National Botanical GardenSouth Africa236 records
Maasai Mara NR – Mara TriangleKenya213 records
Pietermaritzburg – Darvill Resources ParkSouth Africa116 records
Sani Pass (ZA) – low elevationSouth Africa98 records
Katiyo Tea EstateZimbabwe97 records
Mukuvisi WoodlandsZimbabwe96 records

Countries and regions with the most records

South Africa Kenya Tanzania Zimbabwe Uganda Eswatini Malawi Ethiopia

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The red-collared widowbird (Euplectes ardens) is a species of bird in the family Ploceidae. Red-collared widowbirds are found in grasslands and bush clearings in western and southern Africa. They are known for their long tails and brilliant red badges, both of which act as sexual ornaments.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Red-collared Widowbird?

The Red-collared Widowbird is about 25 cm long and weighs around 19 g.

Where does the Red-collared Widowbird live?

Its breeding range: Africa: Sierra Leone to Uganda, southwestern Sudan, northwestern, southern Tanzania south to eastern South Africa. It is most often recorded in South Africa, Kenya and Tanzania.