The Long-tailed Paradise Whydah (Afrikaans name Gewone paradysvink) is a beautiful bird to behold. Although termed as common it is actually very lucky to spot one in the wild.
As with other Whydahs they parasitise by placing their eggs in other birds nests, in this case the Green-winged Pytilla.
The male is the one that has the beautifully coloured plumage and the long tail.
When in transition to or from their Breeding plumage and colours, they look rather speckled and start losing the long tail feathers. We consider ourselves extremely lucky to have seen these two in the Kruger national park.
