© GW - monacoeye • all rights reserved • Gambia, Feb 2013

Bird name: Village Indigobird
Latin: Vidua chalybeata
Other:
Family: Viduidae • Whydahs, Indigobirds
Range: W, C, SE Africa
Similar:

The guide pointed out this Village Indigobird in non-breeding plumage (end Feb). There are several small brown birds in the Gambia in non-breeding season, so ID should be treated with caution. In breeding season this indigobird has all black plumage with light bill and reddish legs. Juveniles are plain brown.

Village Indigobirds were frequently pointed out by the guides - especially up-river. They are a brood parasite of Red-billed Firefinch, but do not destroy host offspring, in whose company they were usually seen.

© GW - monacoeye • all rights reserved • Gambia, Feb 2013

Bird name: Exclamatory Paradise Whydah
Latin: Vidua interjecta
Other:
Family: Viduidae • Whydahs
Range: W, C Africa
Similar:

In the photo of a mixed flock above there are transitional Exclamatory Paradise Whydahs on the far left, far right, bottom centre, plus one or two others. The other birds are Namaqua Dove, Cut-throat Finch and Red-throated Bee-eater.

We saw these Whydahs up-river in the Gambia at the end of February. In breeding plumage (Nov - Jan) they have very long, spectacular black tail streamers, black back and wings, and chestnut neck and chest.

As all birds in the Viduidae family, the Exclamatory Paradise Whydah is a brood parasite, but does not destroy the host’s offspring. The host is named as Red-winged Pytilia in various sources but we didn’t see any nearby. I wonder if it’s possible that Cut-throat Finches were hosts in this instance?More photos...

© AW/monacoeye • all rights reserved • Kinshasa • Dec 2010

Bird name: Pin Tailed Whydah
Latin: Vidua macroura
Other:
Family: Viduidae • Whydahs
Range: Tropical Africa, Angola to Tanzania
Similar:

The above photo is probably a transitional Pin-Tailed Whydah, but the adult plumage is quite different. Seen in Kinshasa in the DRC.

216 Viduidae • Whydahs, Indigobirds - IOC 2.5 - 2010

Vidua chalybeata - Village Indigobird - W, C, SE Africa
Vidua purpurascens - Purple Indigobird - E, S Africa
Vidua raricola - Jambandu Indigobird - W, C Africa
Vidua larvaticola - Barka Indigobird - W, C Africa
Vidua funerea - Dusky Indigobird - W, C, S Africa
Vidua codringtoni - Zambezi Indigobird - SE Africa
Vidua wilsoni - Wilson's Indigobird - C Africa
Vidua nigeriae - Quailfinch Indigobird - C Africa
Vidua maryae - Jos Plateau Indigobird - Nigeria
Vidua camerunensis - Cameroon Indigobird - W, C, E Africa
Vidua macroura - Pin-tailed Whydah - W, C, E, S Africa
Vidua hypocherina - Steel-blue Whydah - E Africa
Vidua fischeri - Straw-tailed Whydah - E Africa
Vidua regia - Shaft-tailed Whydah - S Africa
Vidua paradisaea - Long-tailed Paradise Whydah - EC, SC Africa
Vidua orientalis - Sahel Paradise Whydah - W, C, NE Africa
Vidua interjecta - Exclamatory Paradise Whydah - C Africa
Vidua togoensis - Togo Paradise Whydah - W Africa
Vidua obtusa - Broad-tailed Paradise Whydah - C, S Africa

Anomalospiza imberbis - Cuckoo Finch - W, C, E, SC Africa - NB name