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| The male pin-tailed whydah develops exceptionally long tail feathers during breeding season. |
Happy Birding!
J.J.
PS-- In the story, nutmeg mannikins is misspelled. I think it happened during an automatic spell check.
Saturday, September 7, 2013
Pin-tailed Whydah breed in Orange County
Happy Birding!
J.J.
PS-- In the story, nutmeg mannikins is misspelled. I think it happened during an automatic spell check.
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I was stunned to see a Pin-Tailed Whydah in my neighbor's birch tree a few minutes ago!! In Costa Mesa, California.
ReplyDeleteWe had a pin-tailed whydah in our backyard in Lake Forest all day today! Beautiful, but the poor guy can barely fly!
DeleteI have had a male in my garden for a month...I just returned from a trip back East and have not seen him today but there is a female feeding. She's not nearly as pretty but has a distinctive song that he sings...Laguna Niguel, CA
DeleteI just saw a male at my bird feeder in Orange Park Acres. What a sight!
ReplyDeleteI saw a pin-tailed whydah in my yard in West Anaheim this morning.
ReplyDelete3 P.- T. Whydahs cooled off in my bird bath this afternoon,... first time I've seen them here. They also showed off some of their acrobatic flying skills as well. They seem to get along with Nutmeg Mannikins that also frequent the birdbath daily.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your note! Good to know they get along with the other birds.
DeleteWhat city do you live in? I've had 1 male feeding in my back yard for 2 weeks now. He is pushing all of my other birds around.
DeleteWe were geocaching today in Cedar Grove Park in (North) Tustin 33 45.123, -117 46.157 and we spotted a Whyduh pair flying N to S then back into the park. Then further along the trail we saw Nutmeg Mannikins in the pine trees.
ReplyDeleteI live in Costa Mesa, I have a male Whydah that has been in my back yard for three months now. I first thought it was someones pet who got loose, but now reading up on them it seems they are becoming more common in SoCal. Love listening to him sing all day, and how he "greets and dive bombs" me when I fill the feeder each morning.
ReplyDeleteI live in Sierra Madre and have a male Whyday that just appeared in our yard about 3weeks ago. I also thought he was someone's pet. He is not friendly towards other birds he is extremely territorial and runs off all the other birds feeding on the ground or in the bird feeders.
ReplyDeleteJust saw one in Park Santiago. Took awhile to identify because it wasn't in my western bird book.
ReplyDeleteOne of these just arrived this week at our house in Fullerton CA. At first we loved the sight of him, but he is super aggressive now and chasing off all the other birds from the feeder and so we don't know what to do!
ReplyDeleteHeard birds tweeting in our big magnolia tree. Then I saw the tail feathers! They flew off -- beautiful. I hope they can chase away those damn mockingbirds! Sunny Hills of north Fullerton.
ReplyDeleteJust spotted a male in Brea, feeding among my Dove visitors.
ReplyDeleteJuly 4th 2018. Laguna Hills Last 2 days we have one too! Arrived when he heard me filling up the birdbath....chased our other birds on the ground (feeding on seeds) to establish territory on Day 1. Day 2 he blended in with our variety of creatures .. birds rabbits squirrels .. and didn't chase them off .. just are. Thrilling! We will encourage him to stay in our Certified Wildlife yard .. that is if he behaves!
ReplyDeleteSan Juan Capistrano. I, too have this precious little songbird in my yard; about two months, now. He/she is very territorial and runs off all my other birds, including my family of doves. It tolerates my dogs and rabbits, but won’t let me close enough for photo. seems to know when I’m filling the bird feeders, comes out of no where. I hope it stays but must be lonely.
ReplyDeleteHad a visit today from a male Pin-tailed whydah. Couldn't believe it when I looked it up on the internet. Did not run off the other birds foraging for seeds in my garden. San Clemente
ReplyDeleteSaw one today on our wall in our backyard in Norco. What a thrill!
ReplyDeleteI love watching this beautiful bird. It showed up in my yard about two months ago in LaMirada
ReplyDeleteI think I saw one of these on a wire near the entrance to the golf course in Costa Mesa near Tanager Park this morning.
ReplyDeleteA male Pin-tailed Whydah showed up in our backyard a couple of months ago (Rosemead/South San Gabriel). He showed up every day as long as the seed dish filled. Then, about 2 weeks another male showed up but it had a short tail. We thought it was the original male who might have lost his tail. However, the one with the long tail showed up at the same time. I thought I saw two females this morning but I wasn't sure because I couldn't get close enough. Finally, I got a close-up look at 1 female. She had the red orange beak. Shortly thereafter, two males with short tails showed up. It looks like they are multiplying. Should I be reporting this to a wildlife agency? We have finches and sparrows in abundance but I haven't seen any other exotic looking birds that might be endangered by the Whydah.
ReplyDeleteWe have a male pintailed whydah in our yard in Laguna Hills. He chases all the other birds from the feeder and flies into my windows all day starting at 630am. I’m not sure if there are any female whydahs around. I was enjoying him at first because he’s a cute little funny bird but now I wish he’d move on.
ReplyDeleteWe have a male in our yard in Chino Hills. Been with us about 6 months. We have nicknamed him bully bird because he chases every other bird away from the feeder. He apparently does not mind being alone.
ReplyDeleteWe have also nicknamed the male in our yard “bully bird”. He is handsome but mean to the other birds.
DeleteWe have seen this guy in Newport Beach next to Hoag Hospital.
ReplyDeleteJust spotted this guy in my yard. Very beautiful.Mission Viejo
ReplyDeleteI saw one of these unusual birds in a neighborhood in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA. I was so amazed at what I was seeing that I turned to my husband to show it to him. When I looked again, it was gone.
ReplyDeleteWe just had one spend some time cooling off in our birdbath in Poway CA. Seemed to get along well with a house finch that was sharing the bath.
ReplyDeleteWe have a pair in our backyard near the Canyon Crest Country Club in Riverside
ReplyDeleteWe have one in our backyard in Newport Beach since yesterday. Gorgeous long tail, but this very aggressive male chases all the other birds from feeder.
ReplyDeleteWe have one in our backyard in Newport Beach since yesterday. Gorgeous long tail, but this very aggressive male chases all the other birds from feeder.
ReplyDeleteI just saw one in my backyard in San Juan Capistrano! I am thrilled and so very grateful!!
ReplyDeleteJust saw one in Laguna Niguel !!! Beautiful!!!
ReplyDeleteI was sitting in my car parked across from El Camino Real Park in Orange when I noticed a beautiful, exotic, black-and-white bird with a red beak had landed on my passenger-side mirror. Obviously a male with its very long tail feathers, I was momentarily in awe of its beauty and entranced as it seemed to want me to open my passenger-side window and let him in. We were face-to-face, almost eye-to-eye and I didn’t want to do anything to cause him to take fright and fly away.
ReplyDeleteAfter being frozen in place for probably 10 seconds, I slowly reached into my shirt pocket, withdrew my iPhone 11 Pro Max (it takes great pictures) all the while maintaining eye contact with the seductive and flirtatious beauty before me. Unfortunately, I had to break eye contact in order to select the camera function. Still moving very slowly, I rotated my camera, my eyes once more seeking the eyes of my incredible guest. But…
He was gone! My heart had been in my throat and now my eyes searched desperately in the nearby area of lawn and plants, but he was gone.
I thought it would very hard to find his species online but my description brought up an article from The Orange County Register describing this hard to spot and rare visitor from Africa. I share the following with you wishing I could have captured the moment.
http://nathistoc.bio.uci.edu/birds/passeriformes/Vidua%20macroura/index.htm
ReplyDeleteWe have a male and a few females hanging around our feeders for the past month or so. The male is chasing off other birds by slapping them with his tail. It is very entertaining. I have several photos but don't see how to post them.
ReplyDeleteI haven’t tried to post a picture yet to the smog. Sorry. I can’t help. That would be funny to watch, I’m sure. LOL.
ReplyDeleteOops! Should say, “…yet to the blog.”
ReplyDeleteThe pin tail Whydah has made a couple visits to my backyard this week. Such a pleasant surprise to see him again. I last saw him in August 2018 when I was able to take some photos. I hope to see more, just like the many Bullocks orioles, hummers and so many other birds that I don't know their names. I love my backyard sanctuary.
ReplyDeleteI lived in Ann Arbor, Michigan for 2 years and, being bred, born, and raised in Southern California, I can’t tell you what a delight it was to see new breeds of birds in a new environment, including various woodpeckers. I understand the call of the “backyard sanctuary”. My apartment complex was on the edge of a small wood.
DeleteI saw a pair of these guys in Mission Viejo - Highpark area today, Aug. 10, 2021
ReplyDeleteJust spotted an aggressive male Whydah in between two houses where there are two bird houses and a feeder. I was struck by his long tail, beautiful song and insistence on keeping other birds away. He almost looked like he wanted to go in through the window.
ReplyDeleteWe have one in Fullerton that for a week has been trying to get into our Windows. I put paper over one and he goes to the next.
ReplyDeleteJust saw a male and a female in South Laguna, coast royal area. Never seen one before
ReplyDeleteFirst time seeing one today in Walnut California. Beautiful long tail feather, I got pictures I'll pay on my IG WolfgangHendrix
ReplyDeleteJust spotted a male in Rancho Santa Margarita with his beautiful long tail feathers and its cute hopping flight pattern. What a treat!
ReplyDelete13 Jul 23. Evening. Sighted one breeding male in Tijeras creek Golf course, perched on a tree, close to Arroyo Vista, fenced perimeter. I have photographed the bird and submitted an entry to eBird.
ReplyDeleteSerrano Park (community at the corner of Bake and Trabuco) has 2 males and 1 female. They are in my backyard regularly eating the bird seed I leave on the ground.
ReplyDeleteSighted one male in my bird feeder two days in a row in Cypress, CA. Other birds like finches and doves seem to be scared away.
ReplyDelete31 July, 2024 8:00 am Sighted one male atop a telephone line a house street before the entrance to Park Santiago (the baseball field/bridge area). I've heard their song before but never could spot them until yesterday!
ReplyDeleteSighted today in Azusa in the San Gabriel Valley.
ReplyDelete