Long-Tailed Widowbird

The Long-tailed Widowbird (Euplectes progne) is endemic to Africa. Specifically, it is found in Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Lesotho, South Africa, Swaziland and Zambia. The Long-tailed Widowbird was formally named by Pieter Boddaert, a Dutch naturalist, in 1783. Boddaert published fifty copies of an identification table of Edme-Louis Daubenton's Planches enluminees, assigning Linnean binomial names (scientific names) to the coloured plates. Many of these names were the first scientific names to be proposed, and so they remain in use today. The long-tailed widowbird is a medium-sized bird and one of the most common in the territories it inhabits. Adult breeding males are almost entirely black with orange and white shoulders (epaulets), long, wide tails, and a bluish white bill. Females are rather inconspicuous, their feathers streaked tawny and black with pale patches on the chest, breast and back, narrow tail feathers, and horn-color bills. Now except to a few passionate birders, it doesn’t look like the most spectacular bird one can dream of in the above image. But below is the same bird again, a few month later. In just a few weeks, it has become one of the most vivacious birds in the Highveld.

Long-tailed widowbirds exhibit distinct sexual dimorphism. Males and females exhibit differences in behavior and morphological traits. Adult males are entirely black, including under their wing-covets. Males’ wing shoulders are orange red and their wing-covets white. Their bills are bluish white. Males are known for their distinctly long tails, which contain twelve tail feathers. Of these twelve tail feathers, between six and eight are approximately half a metre (approximately 20 inches) long. Males have wingspans of approximately 127 to 147 mm(approximately 5 to 5.8 inches). It is nesting time for long-tailed widow birds, and the male will do what it takes to attract females, even if he has to struggle a little for balance on windy days. From sunrise to sunset, he patrols his large territory, chasing other males from his domain.

Alongside the male widowbird’s spectacular flight displays, males often perform ‘static’ displays. During a static display the male arches his wings flashing his red-and-white shoulder feathers. He erects his feathers in a hood-like shape, as he makes a “chick-chick-chick” call attracting the attention of any nearby females.

Scientific citation

Emberiza progne Boddaert 1783 Tabl. Planch. Enlum., p39 Cape of Good Hope, S Africa (ex Daubenton, Planch. Enlum., pl 653). Restricetd to E Cape by Clancey 1966.

Meaning of names

progne (Latin) = a swallow, from Greek mythology = 'Prokne', a daughter of Pandion, who was transformed into a swallow. Read the myth in wikipedia. Presumably Boddaert heard about the display of the Long-tailed Widowbird and likened it to the fluttering flight of a swallow.

First English name

Orange-shouldered Bunting (Latham 1783).

Alternate names

Giant Whydah, Great-tailed Widow Bird, Long-tailed finch, Progne Widow-bird, Sakabula (latter is a Zulu name
Collector
Unknown.

Date collected

Before 1778, when Buffon wrote about this species.

Locality collected

Eastern Cape, South Africa.

Type specimens

No type specimens known to survive, but the painting of Daubenton serves as a type.