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The Pin-tailed whydah (Vidua macroura) is a bird found in South Africa, United States, Kenya and Uganda. Grassland and gardens across Africa south of the Sahara. It eats seeds and nuts and insects and other small invertebrates. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.

🏡 Where the Pin-tailed whydah lives

Grassland and gardens across Africa south of the Sahara.

🍽️ What it eats

• 🌰 Seeds & nuts80%
• 🐛 Insects & bugs20%

A rough guide to its diet over a year. Source: EltonTraits (Wilman et al. 2014).

Conservation status

Hear the Pin-tailed whydah

Recorded by African Bioacoustics Community (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), xeno-canto XC1081043. Trimmed to a few seconds.

Questions about the Pin-tailed whydah

Where does the Pin-tailed whydah live?

The Pin-tailed whydah lives in South Africa, United States, Kenya and Uganda. Grassland and gardens across Africa south of the Sahara.

What does the Pin-tailed whydah eat?

seeds and nuts (about 80%), insects and other small invertebrates (about 20%). These are rough shares of its diet over a year, from the EltonTraits database.

Is the Pin-tailed whydah endangered?

There are plenty of these birds. Its IUCN Red List category is Least Concern.

More birds from Africa

• Elephant bird
• Madagascar Jacana
• Meller's Duck
• Taita Apalis
• Malagasy Pond Heron
• Black Harrier

Sources: IUCN Red List (via Wikidata), EltonTraits 1.0 (Wilman et al. 2014), GBIF sightings for countries, Wikipedia. Last updated 2026-10-19.