Euplectes progne
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
The long-tailed widowbird (Euplectes progne) is a species of bird in the weaver family Ploceidae. The species is found in Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Lesotho, South Africa, Eswatini, and Zambia. 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-coloured bills.
When flying, male long-tailed widowbirds are readily visible due to their extremely long tails. Between six and eight of their twelve tail feathers are approximately half a metre (approximately 20 inches) long. The tail during flight display is expanded vertically into a deep, long keel below the male as he flies with slow wingbeats 0.5 to 2 metres (20 to 78 inches) above his territory.
Because of the seemingly large cost to such male ornaments, the long-tailed widowbird has been the subject of extensive research into the function and evolution of sexually selected traits. This research has demonstrated the existence of female choice in sexual selection and indicates the trade-offs between sexual appeal and physical constraints with regard to the evolution of sexual ornaments. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Golden Gate Highlands National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Lake Nakuru National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 3 | Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Addo Elephant National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 5 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Johannesburg | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Long-tailed Widow-bird sighting in Golden Gate Highlands National Park on a given day, based on 73 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 28th most-seen of the 108 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December
In that month about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Long-tailed Widow-bird in Golden Gate Highlands National Park on a given day, against about 20% in May–July and September–October, the lowest months. That is one of Golden Gate Highlands National Park's wettest months, with about 110 mm of rain against 15 mm in June. March has too few records to rate.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Long-tailed Widow-bird sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 5 parks where we can rate Long-tailed Widow-bird sightings, Golden Gate Highlands National Park has the highest daily chance: about 40%. Next come Lake Nakuru National Park (Kenya, about 10%) and Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park (South Africa, under 5%).
Same genus: Euplectes
The closest relatives of the Long-tailed Widow-bird that you can see in Golden Gate Highlands National Park (genus Euplectes, Bishops and Widowbirds) are Red Bishop (about 50%), Yellow-rumped Widowbird (about 40%) and Red-collared Widowbird (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Long-tailed Widow-bird is recorded against all the birds logged in Golden Gate Highlands National Park (73 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
