Does a longer tail help a male Widowbird survive?

The male long-tailed widowbird has one of the most remarkable ornaments among passerine birds. Their tails, which are often more than half a meter (20 inches) long, are the most extreme sexual ornament among Euplectes and seem to in fact be detrimental to the survival of the male.

Why is it called widow bird?

whydah, also spelled Whidah, orWydah, also called Widowbird, any of several African birds that have long dark tails suggesting a funeral veil.

Why do some birds have long tails?

A tail reduces a bird’s overall lift-to-drag ratio (LID), but the tail is important in maintaining stability over a range of flight speeds and in generating lift to help with turning and slow flight. As predicted, we found that large, open-country birds selected for high LID have relatively short tails.

Which is the longest tailed bird?

In fact, the ribbon-tailed astrapia has the longest tail feathers in relation to body size of any bird. Found in the western part of the central highlands of Papua New Guinea, the species is listed as near threatened in part because it is hunted for these very tail feathers.

Why do female Widowbirds prefer males with long tails?

Why, for example, do female widowbirds prefer long-tailed males? Possibly females choose such males because the ability to grow and display long tails reflects their overall genetic “quality” as mates — and the females are thus choosing a superior father for their offspring.

What bird is black and white with a long tail?

Black-billed Magpies
Basic Description. Black-billed Magpies are familiar and entertaining birds of western North America. They sit on fenceposts and road signs or flap across rangelands, their white wing patches flashing and their very long tails trailing behind them.

Are Widowbirds monogamous?

They are polygynous, where males acquisition of territory is an important determinant in their access to mates. Red-collared widowbirds have a wide range and there is little concern in terms of conservation status.

What kind of bird has a very long tail?

In fact, the ribbon-tailed astrapia has the longest tail feathers in relation to body size of any bird.

What is the bird with the longest tail?

One of the most spectacular birds-of-paradise, the male ribbon-tailed astrapia has the longest tail feathers in relation to body size of any bird, over three times the length of its body.

Which bird is known for its beautiful tail?

Indian Peafowl And now we celebrate what is perhaps the most spectacular tail feathers among birds anywhere. The Indian peafowl is famous around the world for its incredible display of iridescent tail feathers, which make up as much as 60% of the male’s total body length.

What is an example of intersexual selection?

Intersexual selection occurs as a result of interactions between males and females of a species. One sex, typically males, will develop and display traits or behavior patterns to attract the opposite sex. Examples of such traits include plumage on birds, the mating calls of frogs, and courtship displays in fish.

What kind of tail do female widowbirds have?

The Andersson experiment demonstrated that female long-tailed widowbirds prefer supernormal tails, as males with elongated tails were found to be the most reproductively successful. The tail females found most attractive were longer than those that occur in the natural setting.

Where does the long tailed widowbird live?

Euplectes progne (Boddaert, 1783) The Long-tailed Widowbird (Euplectes progne), also known as the “Sakabula,” is a species of bird in the Ploceidae family. The species are found in Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Lesotho, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia, and southern Zaire.

Who first described the long-tailed widowbird?

The long-tailed widowbird was described by the French polymath Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon in 1779 in his Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux from a bird collected in the Cape of Good Hope region of South Africa.

Where do widowbirds live in Africa?

The Long-tailed Widowbird ( Euplectes progne ), also known as the “Sakabula,” is a species of bird in the Ploceidae family. The species are found in Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Lesotho, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia, and southern Zaire.