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Fan-tailed widowbird facts for kids

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Fan-tailed widowbird
Euplectes axillaris, Linunga, Birding Weto, a.jpg
Fan-tailed Widowbird, Ngorongoro Crater (8495891608).jpg
Breeding males of races E. a.
bocagei and E. a. phoeniceus
Conservation status
Scientific classification
Genus:
Euplectes
Species:
axillaris

The fan-tailed widowbird (Euplectes axillaris) is a cool bird also known as the red-shouldered widowbird. It belongs to the Ploceidae family, which includes many types of weaver birds.

These birds love living in grassy areas and swamps. You can find them in the warm, tropical and subtropical parts of Africa.

Where Fan-tailed Widowbirds Live

Fan-tailed widowbirds are found across a large part of Africa. They live in many countries, including:

  • Angola
  • Botswana
  • Burundi
  • Cameroon
  • Central African Republic
  • Chad
  • Republic of the Congo
  • Democratic Republic of the Congo
  • Eswatini
  • Ethiopia
  • Kenya
  • Lesotho
  • Malawi
  • Mali
  • Mozambique
  • Namibia
  • Niger
  • Nigeria
  • Rwanda
  • Somalia
  • South Africa
  • Sudan
  • Tanzania
  • Uganda
  • Zambia
  • Zimbabwe
Euplectes axillaris1 crop
Male E. a. phoeniceus in its non-breeding (eclipse) plumage.

Different Types of Fan-tailed Widowbirds

Even though they are all fan-tailed widowbirds, there are five slightly different groups, called "races" or "subspecies." These groups look a bit different or live in specific areas.

Western Fan-tailed Widowbirds

  • E. a. subsp. bocagei (Sharpe, 1871)

This group lives in West Africa. You can find them from Mali all the way to the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. They also live further south in places like the Caprivi Strip, the Okavango, and the upper Zambezi areas.

Eastern Fan-tailed Widowbirds

  • E. a. subsp. phoeniceus (Heuglin, 1862)

These birds are found in East Africa. Their home stretches from Sudan to the high lands of Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, and Malawi.

Ethiopian Fan-tailed Widowbirds

  • E. a. subsp. traversii (Salvadori, 1888)

This specific type lives in the Ethiopian Highlands. These are high-altitude areas in Ethiopia.

Coastal Fan-tailed Widowbirds

  • E. a. subsp. zanzibaricus (Shelley, 1881)

You can spot this group along the east coast of Africa. Their range goes from Somalia down to Tanzania.

Southern Fan-tailed Widowbirds

  • E. a. subsp. axillaris (A.Smith, 1838)

This last group lives in southeastern Africa. They are found in the lower areas of Malawi and across eastern South Africa.

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Fan-tailed widowbird Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.