white-winged widowbird

The white-winged widowbird was first described by the American ornithologist John Cassin in 1848.{{r|ibc}} Hybrids with "red bishops", probably northern red bishop (E. franciscanus), have been reported in captivity. Non-captive interbreeding of race eques with nominate appears to occur in southern Tanzania, but they appear to stay segregated in Burundi and western Tanzania.{{r|ibc}} A proposal has been made for race sassii, which is found along the northwestern shore of Lake Tanganyika.{{r|ibc}} Alternate common names include: white-fronted/white-shouldered widowbird, white-winged/white-shouldered whydah, long-tailed black whydah.

Three subspecies of the white-winged widowbird are now recognized.{{r|ibc}}

• E. a. albonotatus (Cassin, 1848), inhabits Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia, Malawi, Namibia (Caprivi region), Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Eswatini, and South Africa.
• E. a. eques (Hartlaub, 1863), or cinnamon-shouldered widowbird, inhabits the Central African Republic, Sudan, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania.
• E. a. asymmetrurus (Reichenow, 1892), inhabits São Tomé, Gabon, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Angola.

The white-winged widowbird is {{convert|15|to(-)|19|cm|in|abbr=on}} in length and about {{convert|23|g|oz|abbr=on}} in weight.{{r|kruger}} The male is the only short-tailed widowbird in its region with white on its coverts. The breeding male is distinguished from the yellow-mantled widowbird by its shorter tail, wing color, lack of yellow on its back, and paler bill.{{r|guidebook}} Females are pale below.{{r|guidebook}}{{r|ethiopia}}

File:White-winged widowbird, Euplectes albonotatus, at Pilanesberg National Park, Northwest Province, South Africa (17320532836).jpg

The white-winged widowbird is found in Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Central African Republic, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Eswatini, Gabon, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, São Tomé, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Its preferred habitats are savanna, grasslands and wetlands, as well as cultivated land. Its call is "zeh-zeh-zeh" and "witz-witz-witz".{{r|IUCN}}{{r|sabirds}}

The white-winged widowbird is polygynous, with one male mating with 3–4 females, and lives in flocks. Oval nests, built solely by the male,{{r|sabirds}} are located in the branches of trees or shrubs.{{r|kruger}} Nesting takes place from November to May, peaking from December to March. The female will lay a clutch of two to four white eggs, which she will incubate for 12–14 days. Feeding of chicks is done by the female in the nest for 11–14 days, with chick independence coming 22–25 days later. This bird mainly eats grass seeds, nectar, and insects.{{r|sabirds}}

{{Reflist

| refs =

{{cite web|title=Biodiversity and the New Year in Ethiopia |url=http://www.ibc-et.org/ibc/dpt/animal/biodiversity_newyear.html|publisher=Institute of Biodiversity Conservation|last=Gebremedhin|first=Berihun |access-date=11 June 2011}}{{dead link|date=February 2024|bot=medic}}

{{cite web|title=White-winged Widowbird Euplectes albonotatus

|url=http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/speciesfactsheet.php?id=8590|publisher=BirdLife International|access-date=31 May 2011}}

{{cite web|title=White-winged Widowbird (Euplectes albonotatus) |url=http://ibc.lynxeds.com/species/white-winged-widowbird-euplectes-albonotatus|publisher=Internet Bird Collection|access-date=31 May 2011}}

{{cite iucn|url=https://www.iucnredlist.org/details/22719223/0 |title=Euplectes albonotatus |author=BirdLife International |author-link=BirdLife International |year=2012 |access-date=26 November 2013}}

{{cite book|last=Sinclair|first=Ian|title=The larger illustrated guide to birds of southern Africa |year=2005|publisher=Struik Publishers|location=Cape Town|isbn=1-77002-438-7|pages=404, 447|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jZTl2rn9uTYC&q=White-winged+Widowbird&pg=PA402|author2=Phil Hockey |access-date=1 June 2011}}

{{cite web|title=Yellow-crowned Bishop (Euplectes afer, family: Ploceidae)|url= http://www.thekruger.com/knpbirds/euplectesalbonotatus.htm|publisher=Kruger National Park|access-date=1 June 2011}}

{{cite web|title=Euplectes albonotatus (White-winged widowbird, White-winged widow)|url=http://www.biodiversityexplorer.org/birds/ploceidae/euplectes_albonotatus.htm|publisher=Biodiversity Explorer|access-date=1 June 2011|archive-date=3 October 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111003102119/http://www.biodiversityexplorer.org/birds/ploceidae/euplectes_albonotatus.htm|url-status=dead}}

}}

{{Commons category|Euplectes albonotatus}}

{{Wikispecies|Euplectes albonotatus}}

• White-winged widow - [http://sabap2.adu.org.za/docs/sabap1/829.pdf Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds]
• [http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/resources/jp_myers/white-winged_widow.jpg/view.html Image at ADW]
• [http://www.oiseaux.net/birds/photos/white-winged.widowbird.html Pictures of various markings]

{{Ploceidae}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q603593}}

white-winged widowbird

Category:Birds of Sub-Saharan Africa

white-winged widowbird

Category:Taxonomy articles created by Polbot