Fan-tailed Widowbird
Fan-tailed WidowbirdFan-tailed WidowbirdFan-tailed WidowbirdFan-tailed Widowbird

Fan-tailed Widowbird

Euplectes axillaris

Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Amboseli National Park
173 Verified sightings at Amboseli National Park From 2019 to 2026
3,879 Verified sightings across all 33 parks From 2019 to 2026
April Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the Fan-tailed Widowbird

The fan-tailed widowbird (Euplectes axillaris), also known as the red-shouldered widowbird, is a species of bird in the family Ploceidae, which is native to grassy and swampy areas of the tropical and subtropical Afrotropics.

It is found in Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, DRC, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

There are five accepted races: E. a. subsp. bocagei (Sharpe, 1871) – West Africa from Mali to CAR and DRC, and southwards to the Caprivi Strip, Okavango and upper Zambezi regions. E. a. subsp. phoeniceus (Heuglin, 1862) – East Africa (Sudan to upland Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia and Malawi)

E. a. subsp. traversii (Salvadori, 1888) – Ethiopian Highlands E. a. subsp. zanzibaricus (Shelley, 1881) – African east coast (Somalia to Tanzania) E. a. subsp. axillaris (A.Smith, 1838) – southeastern Africa (lowland Malawi to eastern South Africa)

(Fan-tailed widowbird = ) Red-shouldered widowbird - Species text in The Atlas of Southern African... Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Amboseli National Park

Yellow-crowned Bishop
LC

Yellow-crowned Bishop

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Euplectes afer

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
White-winged Widowbird
LC

White-winged Widowbird

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Euplectes albonotatus

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Red Bishop
LC

Red Bishop

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Euplectes orix

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Zanzibar Bishop
LC

Zanzibar Bishop

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Euplectes nigroventris

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Yellow-rumped Widowbird
LC

Yellow-rumped Widowbird

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Euplectes capensis

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Red-collared Widowbird
LC

Red-collared Widowbird

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Euplectes ardens

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Fire-fronted Bishop
LC

Fire-fronted Bishop

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Euplectes diadematus

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
White-headed Buffalo-Weaver
LC

White-headed Buffalo-Weaver

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Dinemellia dinemelli

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
Taveta Golden-Weaver
LC

Taveta Golden-Weaver

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Ploceus castaneiceps

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
Red-billed Quelea
LC

Red-billed Quelea

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Quelea quelea

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Red-billed Buffalo-Weaver
LC

Red-billed Buffalo-Weaver

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Bubalornis niger

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Lesser Masked-Weaver
LC

Lesser Masked-Weaver

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Ploceus intermedius

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Global Distribution

Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 iSimangaliso Wetland Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~30%
2 Ngorongoro Conservation Area 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~20%
3 Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~20%
4 Queen Elizabeth National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~20%
5 Amboseli National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~20%
6 Mikumi National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~20%
7 Akagera National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
~10%
8 Lake Mburo National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~10%
9 Golden Gate Highlands National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
10 Masai Mara National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
11 Virunga National Park 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo
~10%
12 Volcanoes National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
~10%
13 Serengeti National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
14 Moremi Game Reserve 🇧🇼 Botswana
~10%
15 Liwonde National Park 🇲🇼 Malawi
<5%
16 Kafue National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
<5%
17 Nyungwe National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
<5%
18 Chobe National Park 🇧🇼 Botswana
<5%
19 Tsavo East National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
20 Mkomazi National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
21 Kruger National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
22 Kibale National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
23 Tsavo West National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
24 Addo Elephant National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
25 Tarangire National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
26 Bwindi Impenetrable National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
27 Pilanesberg National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
Insufficient data
28 Selous Game Reserve 🇹🇿 Tanzania
Insufficient data
29 Lake Manyara National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
Insufficient data
30 Kidepo Valley National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
Insufficient data
31 Ruaha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
Insufficient data
32 South Luangwa National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
Insufficient data
33 Murchison Falls National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Fan-tailed Widowbird in Amboseli National Park?

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Fan-tailed Widowbird sighting in Amboseli National Park, based on 173 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Fan-tailed Widowbird in Amboseli National Park?

April has the highest sighting rate for Fan-tailed Widowbird in Amboseli National Park in our monthly data.

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