***********Please Note that Kenya is still operating and is still NOT busy!!!*******
"Governors’ Camp Bird Report April 2008
With all the amazing bird sightings we have had this month we couldn’t resist a specialised bird report and this one is focused on “Widows and Whydahs”.
Widows and Whydahs are birds which, for most of the year, look rather like dull sparrows and are hardly noticeable at all. But when the rainy season starts, the males suddenly change colour, and within a few weeks their colour turns from brown to mostly black, hence ‘Widowbird’. The origin of the word ‘Whydah’ seems to have been lost. It is thought that it may be a corruption of the word ‘widow’, most whydahs have long black tails like a widow’s train, or it may be from the locality of Ouidah, on the West African coast where they were first found by Europeans in the cage bird trade. Another oddity of the Whydahs is that they are parasitic (like Cuckoos). These two families (or Widows and Whydahs) are endemic to Africa.
Just now, the rains in the Masai Mara have mostly finished and the grass is tall and green. The male widows and whydahs are very active courting and can easily be seen. The most obvious is the Pin-tailed Whydah. Several males with females can be seen along the road side between Governors’ Camp and Little Governors’ Camp. The male Pin-tailed Whydah is a striking black and white with a bright red bill and a long black tail. Its tail is three times as long has its body. The male Pin-tailed Whydah can be seen with a bouncing hovering flight above a female. The female sits on an obvious perch and the male hovers vigorously above her. During this time of the year the male Pin –tailed Whydah will attack any other bird that approaches his territory, even birds as large as doves are vigorously chased away. After mating, the female seeks out the nest of one of the waxbill family, in the Mara it is almost certainly the Common Waxbill and she lays her eggs in the waxbill’s nest.
Jackson’s Widowbird (named after Sir Fredrick Jackson who was a Governor of Kenya in colonial times), by comparison, is much more difficult to see. Male Jackson’s Widowbirds are mostly black with tawny-brown shoulders and a long, black, droopy curved tail. The males have a very interesting method of attracting their females. They flatten a small circular ring in the grass and then attempt to attract a female to it by repeatedly jumping up and down above it. When jumping, they arch most of their tail feathers until they are almost touching the back of the bird’s neck, while at the same time the males make a sizzling-like song. Very often several males will display close to each other and all one sees are a number of black objects momentarily appearing and disappearing above the top of the long grass as they jump up and down. A Jackson’s Widowbird will attract several females and he will build a nest for each of them. Two other Widowbirds can also be seen in the Mara, Red-collared Widowbird and the Fan-tailed Widowbird. The Red-collared is mainly black with a long tail, with a red collar which extends over its head, while the Fan-tailed widowbird is again mostly black but has a short tail. The Red-collared displays by flying low over the grass with slow wingbeats and with its tail curved downwards, they also sit on an obvious perch, fluff up their body feather, and make an almost metallic-sounding, rasping song. The Fan-tailed Widowbird again is mostly black, but has bright red shoulder patches and a short tail. When displaying they perch, showing off their red shoulder patches, and with their tail spread and neck feathers raised. When flying, they fly low over the grassland with slow wingbeats, again showing off their red shoulder patches.
The long tails of the Widowbirds must be a hindrance, making it much more difficult to fly and putting them in danger of a predator such as an Ovambo Sparrowhawk. So, why the long tail? One theory is that if a male can manage with a long cumbersome tail this may well attract the female who see a strong male as a better partner."
"Governors’ Camp Bird Report April 2008
With all the amazing bird sightings we have had this month we couldn’t resist a specialised bird report and this one is focused on “Widows and Whydahs”.
Widows and Whydahs are birds which, for most of the year, look rather like dull sparrows and are hardly noticeable at all. But when the rainy season starts, the males suddenly change colour, and within a few weeks their colour turns from brown to mostly black, hence ‘Widowbird’. The origin of the word ‘Whydah’ seems to have been lost. It is thought that it may be a corruption of the word ‘widow’, most whydahs have long black tails like a widow’s train, or it may be from the locality of Ouidah, on the West African coast where they were first found by Europeans in the cage bird trade. Another oddity of the Whydahs is that they are parasitic (like Cuckoos). These two families (or Widows and Whydahs) are endemic to Africa.
Just now, the rains in the Masai Mara have mostly finished and the grass is tall and green. The male widows and whydahs are very active courting and can easily be seen. The most obvious is the Pin-tailed Whydah. Several males with females can be seen along the road side between Governors’ Camp and Little Governors’ Camp. The male Pin-tailed Whydah is a striking black and white with a bright red bill and a long black tail. Its tail is three times as long has its body. The male Pin-tailed Whydah can be seen with a bouncing hovering flight above a female. The female sits on an obvious perch and the male hovers vigorously above her. During this time of the year the male Pin –tailed Whydah will attack any other bird that approaches his territory, even birds as large as doves are vigorously chased away. After mating, the female seeks out the nest of one of the waxbill family, in the Mara it is almost certainly the Common Waxbill and she lays her eggs in the waxbill’s nest.
Jackson’s Widowbird (named after Sir Fredrick Jackson who was a Governor of Kenya in colonial times), by comparison, is much more difficult to see. Male Jackson’s Widowbirds are mostly black with tawny-brown shoulders and a long, black, droopy curved tail. The males have a very interesting method of attracting their females. They flatten a small circular ring in the grass and then attempt to attract a female to it by repeatedly jumping up and down above it. When jumping, they arch most of their tail feathers until they are almost touching the back of the bird’s neck, while at the same time the males make a sizzling-like song. Very often several males will display close to each other and all one sees are a number of black objects momentarily appearing and disappearing above the top of the long grass as they jump up and down. A Jackson’s Widowbird will attract several females and he will build a nest for each of them. Two other Widowbirds can also be seen in the Mara, Red-collared Widowbird and the Fan-tailed Widowbird. The Red-collared is mainly black with a long tail, with a red collar which extends over its head, while the Fan-tailed widowbird is again mostly black but has a short tail. The Red-collared displays by flying low over the grass with slow wingbeats and with its tail curved downwards, they also sit on an obvious perch, fluff up their body feather, and make an almost metallic-sounding, rasping song. The Fan-tailed Widowbird again is mostly black, but has bright red shoulder patches and a short tail. When displaying they perch, showing off their red shoulder patches, and with their tail spread and neck feathers raised. When flying, they fly low over the grassland with slow wingbeats, again showing off their red shoulder patches.
The long tails of the Widowbirds must be a hindrance, making it much more difficult to fly and putting them in danger of a predator such as an Ovambo Sparrowhawk. So, why the long tail? One theory is that if a male can manage with a long cumbersome tail this may well attract the female who see a strong male as a better partner."
posted by Odyssey at
5:17 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home