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It runs Google's Perch, a research-grade acoustic model covering nearly 15,000 species. When a call is ambiguous, we say so honestly and let you record a second clip to confirm, rather than guessing.

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No. Your audio is used to identify the bird in the moment and isn't saved to our servers. The birds you confirm are kept as cards in your own field journal; the recordings themselves are not.

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Birdsong field guide

Broad-tailed Paradise-Whydah

Vidua obtusa

A specialized brood parasite of southern and eastern Africa, the Broad-tailed Paradise-Whydah is renowned for the male's spectacular, wide-feathered breeding plumage.

What it sounds like

A complex medley of mimicked whistles and trills from the Orange-winged Pytilia, interspersed with raspy 'chip' and 'chut' notes.

Reference call, compare with what you heard

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Rec. Thibaut Chansac · TanzaniaCC BY-NC-SA Xeno-canto

Field notes

It is a host-specific brood parasite, exclusively laying its eggs in the nests of the Orange-winged Pytilia.
Breeding males possess exceptionally broad, blunt-tipped central rectrices that can reach up to 21 centimeters in length.
Unlike most parasites, whydah chicks do not kill their nestmates; instead, they are raised alongside the host's biological offspring.
The nestlings exhibit identical mouth markings (gape patterns) to those of the host species to prevent detection by the parents.
Males are accomplished vocal mimics, incorporating the specific songs and alarm calls of their host species into their own displays.

Habitat

Open broad-leaved woodlands, particularly Miombo and Mopane savannas.

Range

Sub-Saharan Africa, from Angola and southern DRC to Kenya and south to Limpopo, South Africa.

Similar & commonly confused birds

Barka IndigobirdVidua larvaticola Cameroon IndigobirdVidua camerunensis Dusky IndigobirdVidua funerea Eastern Paradise-WhydahVidua paradisaea Exclamatory Paradise-WhydahVidua interjecta Green IndigobirdVidua codringtoni Jambandu IndigobirdVidua raricola Jambandu IndigobirdVidua raricola

Heard a Broad-tailed Paradise-Whydah?

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