Bird Album
Straw-tailed Whydah
Vidua fischeri (Reichenow, 1882)
12 gWeight
The straw-tailed whydah (Vidua fischeri) is a species of bird in the family Viduidae.
Busiest months: February · Most records: Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia
Where and when it's recorded
Straw-tailed Whydah has been recorded at 70 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 6 countries and regions.
Records by month Southern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Tsavo West NPKenya97 records
- Ngorongoro Conservation Area – NdutuTanzania85 records
- Samburu NRKenya82 records
More places
- Tarangire NPTanzania76 records
- Ngorongoro Conservation Area – Lake NdutuTanzania72 records
- Serengeti NP – SeroneraTanzania48 records
- Serengeti NPTanzania48 records
- Awash NPEthiopia39 records
- Mpala Ranch and Research CentreKenya39 records
- Amboseli NPKenya38 records
Countries and regions with the most records
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 straw-tailed whydah (Vidua fischeri) is a species of bird in the family Viduidae.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Straw-tailed Whydah?
The Straw-tailed Whydah weighs around 12 g.
Where does the Straw-tailed Whydah live?
Its breeding range: Africa: South Sudan, Ethiopia and Somalia to Tanzania. It is most often recorded in Tanzania, Kenya and Ethiopia.
When is the best time to see the Straw-tailed Whydah?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in February (Southern Hemisphere).
Is the Straw-tailed Whydah endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Straw-tailed Whydah as Least Concern.
What does the Straw-tailed Whydah eat?
Main food: Seeds.
What family is the Straw-tailed Whydah in?
It belongs to the family Indigobirds, Whydahs (Viduidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).
At a glance
- Weight
- 12 g
- Habitat
- Shrubland
- Diet
- Seeds
- Lifestyle
- Active on the ground
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 67 mm
- Tail
- 42 mm
- Bill
- 10 mm
- Tarsus
- 14 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Africa: South Sudan, Ethiopia and Somalia to Tanzania
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Passerines Passeriformes
- Family
- Indigobirds, Whydahs Viduidae
- Genus
- Vidua
Other birds in the genus Vidua
Village IndigobirdVidua chalybeata
Purple IndigobirdVidua purpurascens
Jambandu IndigobirdVidua raricola
Barka IndigobirdVidua larvaticola
Dusky IndigobirdVidua funerea
Zambezi IndigobirdVidua codringtoni
Wilson's IndigobirdVidua wilsoni
Quailfinch IndigobirdVidua nigeriae
Jos Plateau IndigobirdVidua maryae
Cameroon IndigobirdVidua camerunensis
Pin-tailed WhydahVidua macroura
Steel-blue WhydahVidua hypocherina
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Markus Lilje. ↗
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