For more information
on other animals found at Cub Creek Science Camp visit our
animal page.
Finch - Pin Tailed Wydah
The Pin Tailed Wydah is widely distributed throughout
eastern Africa. Found in woodlands, open savanna, and
cultivated areas in conjunction with their usual breeding
hosts, the Common waxbill, Estrilda astrild.
They eat small grass seeds and occasionally
small insects such as termites and grubs.
The Pin Tailed Wydah gathers in large flocks of a
hundred or more outside of the breeding season, but
in much smaller parties during breeding time when
the males become fiercely territorial within the
species (over the hens, not the neighborhood).
Pin tails need plenty of room to fly and perching in
the open to keep their tails in good condition.
Since they re-grow a new tail each season, a damaged
feather is not cause for great concern, but you will
have to look at it the rest of the season as it will
not re-grow but will have to be shed at the end of
the breeding cycle before a new one will take its
place.
At Cub Creek Science Camp we have a pair of
Pin Tail Wydah Finches. The male when in full color is
very dark almost black. You can see here that our Pin Tail
Wydah male is just starting to turn colors. The female
has a short tail and is more brown in color. These
birds are called parasitic breeders because they breed when
other birds around them do and then lay their eggs in the
other birds nests. They live in close proximity to the
common waxbill in the wild. Here is a picture of a
mature male during the breeding cycle. See how black
and white he is with that bright red bill.
