Fan-tailed Widowbird
The Fan-tailed Widowbird reminded me of a Red-winged Blackbird in North America. It is all black, with a red wing patch that has a yellow-orange border -- the patch is bigger and less intensely colored than the blackbird's. This one was feeding on the ground at our lunch stop at Ngorongoro. I saw nothing in their behavior or plumage that would explain why they are called Fan-tailed. Some species of widow birds have extremely long tails.
Fan-tailed Widowbird
The Fan-tailed Widowbird reminded me of a Red-winged Blackbird in North America. It is all black, with a red wing patch that has a yellow-orange border -- the patch is bigger and less intensely colored than the blackbird's. This one was feeding on the ground at our lunch stop at Ngorongoro. I saw nothing in their behavior or plumage that would explain why they are called Fan-tailed. Some species of widow birds have extremely long tails.