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 ~10% · With luck
at Masai Mara National Reserve
428 Verified sightings at Masai Mara National Reserve From 2019 to 2026
3,879 Verified sightings across all 33 parks From 2019 to 2026
May 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 Masai Mara National Reserve

Yellow-rumped Widowbird
LC

Yellow-rumped Widowbird

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Euplectes capensis

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Yellow-shouldered Widowbird
LC

Yellow-shouldered Widowbird

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Euplectes macroura

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Jackson's Widowbird
LC

Jackson's Widowbird

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Euplectes jacksoni

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Red-collared Widowbird
LC

Red-collared Widowbird

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Euplectes ardens

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

White-winged Widowbird

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Euplectes albonotatus

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Long-tailed Widow-bird
LC

Long-tailed Widow-bird

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Euplectes progne

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Red Bishop
LC

Red Bishop

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Euplectes orix

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Black Bishop
LC

Black Bishop

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Euplectes gierowii

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Village Weaver
LC

Village Weaver

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Ploceus cucullatus

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Speckle-fronted Weaver
LC

Speckle-fronted Weaver

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Sporopipes frontalis

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

Spectacled Weaver

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Ploceus ocularis

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
White-headed Buffalo-Weaver
LC

White-headed Buffalo-Weaver

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Dinemellia dinemelli

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 Masai Mara National Reserve?

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Fan-tailed Widowbird sighting in Masai Mara National Reserve, based on 428 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Fan-tailed Widowbird in Masai Mara National Reserve?

May has the highest sighting rate for Fan-tailed Widowbird in Masai Mara National Reserve in our monthly data.

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