Straw-tailed Whydah

Straw-tailed Whydah

Vidua fischeri

Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Serengeti National Park

In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%

393 Verified sightings at Serengeti National Park From 2019 to 2026
1,109 In all 12 parks
February Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Straw-tailed Whydah

The straw-tailed whydah (Vidua fischeri) is a species of bird in the family Viduidae. It is found in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. Its natural habitat is dry savanna. Like all other whydah species, the straw-tailed whydah is a brood parasite. Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call0:16

Ethiopia · 2015

© Peter Boesman · XC300883 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Song0:50

Kenya · 2020

© James Bradley · XC536669 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call0:20

Kenya · 2021

© isaac kilusu · XC613504 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Tsavo West National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~20%
2 Mkomazi National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~20%
3 Serengeti National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
4 Ngorongoro Conservation Area 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
5 Tsavo East National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
6 Tarangire National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
7 Awash National Park 🇪🇹 Ethiopia
<5%
8 Samburu National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
9 Lake Manyara National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
10 Amboseli National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
11 Masai Mara National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
12 Nairobi National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Straw-tailed Whydah in Serengeti National Park?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Straw-tailed Whydah sighting in Serengeti National Park on a given day, based on 393 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 125th most-seen of the 469 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Straw-tailed Whydah in Serengeti National Park?

February and March

In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Straw-tailed Whydah in Serengeti National Park on a given day, against under 5% in May to November, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Straw-tailed Whydah?

Between 7 and 10 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Straw-tailed Whydah sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Serengeti National Park the best place to see a Straw-tailed Whydah?

3rd of 12

Of the 12 parks where we can rate Straw-tailed Whydah sightings, Serengeti National Park ranks 3rd at about 10%. The best odds are in Tsavo West National Park (Kenya, about 20%) and Mkomazi National Park (Tanzania, about 20%).

Which relatives of the Straw-tailed Whydah live in Serengeti National Park?

Same genus: Vidua

The closest relatives of the Straw-tailed Whydah that you can see in Serengeti National Park (genus Vidua, Indigobirds and Whydahs) are Pin-tailed Whydah (about 20%), Steel-blue Whydah (about 20%) and Long-tailed Paradise Whydah (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Straw-tailed Whydah sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Straw-tailed Whydah is recorded against all the birds logged in Serengeti National Park (393 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.

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