The Togo paradise whydah is a species of bird in the family Viduidae. It is found in Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Mali, Sierra Leone, and Togo.
Region
West Africa
Typical Environment
Occurs from coastal and inland West Africa through savanna and lightly wooded grasslands. It is recorded in Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Mali, Sierra Leone, and Togo. Prefers open habitats with scattered shrubs or trees, fallow fields, and edges of cultivation where grasses seed after rains. Often follows the distribution and breeding of its estrildid host species and may shift locally with seasonal resource availability.
Altitude Range
0–1600 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 2/5
The Togo paradise whydah is a brood parasite that lays its eggs in the nests of estrildid finches, and males learn to mimic the host’s songs to attract females. Breeding males grow strikingly long black tail streamers and bold contrasting plumage, which are shed after the breeding season. It is native to West Africa and can appear locally common where suitable hosts and seeding grasses are plentiful.
Temperament
wary and active
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with bounding display flights
Social Behavior
Outside the breeding season it forages in small loose groups and can associate with other seedeaters. It is a brood parasite of estrildid finches and does not build its own nest; females deposit eggs in host nests. Males are polygynous and perform aerial displays from prominent perches during the rains.
Migratory Pattern
Partial migrant
Song Description
Males incorporate detailed mimicry of their estrildid host’s calls and songs, mixing thin whistles with rattling notes. Display songs are delivered from perches and during slow, fluttering flights.
Plumage
Breeding male with a black hood and upperparts, warm buff to orange breast, clean whitish belly, and very long black tail streamers; non-breeding male resembles female but duller. Female is small, brown and buff with fine streaking and a short tail. Plumage outside breeding is cryptic and sparrow-like.
Diet
Feeds mainly on small grass seeds and other seeds taken from the ground or low plants. During breeding it supplements with small insects to meet protein demands. It also gleans seed heads after rains when grasses are seeding.
Preferred Environment
Open savanna, fallow fields, farm edges, and grassy clearings with scattered bushes. Often forages on the ground or low in seeding grasses along paths and field margins.
