South Africa/FS: Golden Gate NP – Long-Tailed Paradise Whydah
A bizarre-looking bird that we spotted all around the grasslands of the Holden Gare Highlands NP was the Long-tailed Paradise Whydah (Vidua paradisaea). For most of the year, these are small, unimpressive, boring brown little birds, males and females alike. But come the breeding season, and males grow a spectacular long tail, which can be three times their body length. The tale is so big and heavy, that males are having tough times even flying, as it pulls them down. The whydahs are also known as brood parasites – they lay their eggs in then nests of other bird species, and they also can mimic the songs of their hosts.
