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

Fan-tailed Widowbird

Euplectes axillaris

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Golden Gate Highlands National Park
13 Verified sightings at Golden Gate Highlands National Park From 2019 to 2026
3,879 Verified sightings across all 33 parks From 2019 to 2026
September 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 Golden Gate Highlands National Park

Red Bishop
LC

Red Bishop

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Euplectes orix

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
Yellow-rumped Widowbird
LC

Yellow-rumped Widowbird

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Euplectes capensis

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
Long-tailed Widow-bird
LC

Long-tailed Widow-bird

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Euplectes progne

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
Red-collared Widowbird
LC

Red-collared Widowbird

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Euplectes ardens

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
Yellow-crowned Bishop
LC

Yellow-crowned Bishop

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Euplectes afer

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Cape Weaver
LC

Cape Weaver

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Ploceus capensis

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely
Southern Masked Weaver
LC

Southern Masked Weaver

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Ploceus velatus

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
Red-billed Quelea
LC

Red-billed Quelea

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Quelea quelea

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Village Weaver
LC

Village Weaver

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Ploceus cucullatus

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Pied Starling
LC

Pied Starling

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Lamprotornis bicolor

Daily sighting probability ~80% · Very likely
Red-winged Starling
LC

Red-winged Starling

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Onychognathus morio

Daily sighting probability ~70% · Very likely
African Stonechat
LC

African Stonechat

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Saxicola torquatus

Daily sighting probability ~70% · Very likely

Global Distribution

Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.

where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is)  ·  parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there

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 Golden Gate Highlands National Park?

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Fan-tailed Widowbird sighting in Golden Gate Highlands National Park, based on 13 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Fan-tailed Widowbird in Golden Gate Highlands National Park?

September has the highest sighting rate for Fan-tailed Widowbird in Golden Gate Highlands National Park in our monthly data.

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