like the cuckoo-weavers is also the widows of brood-sponging weaver-birds. 4 types with 15 types occur in the steppes and savanna-areas of the tropical Africa south from the Sahara. The name "Widows" probably goes back to a Verballhornung of the name of the port "Ouidah" in the golf from Guinea where the first birds of the subfamily were found Viduinae; the same is applicable to the near relatives Widavögel.
Way of life In its spread-area, the birds usually live in small flights, in which the number of the females and squabs prevails. It is also bigger communities to find, however, that consist.
Shape Both sexes are similarly colored in the silence-dress, usually brownish and sparrow-good. With beginning of the rain-time and the incubation of its host-birds interconnected with it, a full-molt starts with the widows; only the male gets a splendid brood-dress. This is marked particularly through the 4 strongly extended middle tail-feathers. With the king-widow (Tetraenura regia), they are still emphasized particularly through its structure, because at the ends of the bald, long shafts, arrow-shaped widenings sit. The unequally extended tail-feathers of the paradise-widows are entitled to a special function, because can be generated swift-Ella-Ute hereby.
Reproduction In the combination-time, also the groups are differently composite. Usually, several females are led by a sexually mature, polygamous male in the brood-dress. Quite characteristic Balzverhalten are to be observed. So, the Dominican-widow's (Vidua macroura) male stands shaking over a female in the air; this of the straw-widow (Tetraenura fischeri) sits directly on the most outer top of a small branch in bushes or small trees over a female and flaps the wings so severely that only the solid-clawed feet prevent it from taking off. Other types rise highly in the Balzflug into the air.
This always takes place perform courtship display in the precinct of the male. it delimits this also through its precinct-chant. The tone-remarks of the widows are furthermore of another quite special meaning. they consist of quite simple elements and from components namely, that the chant of the host-type (s). u.) it is taken.
The widows are brood-parasites. they don't build any own nests but don't put its eggs to the nests of other birds. In order to secure the Aufzucht of its descendants, they fitted themselves completely for 4 types of the splendor-finches. So close relationships originated on that occasion that every widow-type of a certain host-type can be assigned. All young of the widows, who don't resemble the host-type's boys, are not fed and are not eliminated with it.
How already mentions, the tone-remarks of the widows contain elements of the host-bird-chant. Since those of a certain host-type of reared birds of both sexes are embossed in same manner, becomes so guaranteed that only descendants of those widows, who belong to the same "adoptive-relationship", can "communicate" among each other. This means that females are inseminated only by such males, who were reared with the same host-type; on the other hand, the female sets aside its eggs only with this host-type.
That also is absolutely necessary since the adaptation of the squabs must go until into the smallest detail. The pharynx-drawing alone in the Sperrachen (splendor-finches) represents a totality of triggers, that are essential for the feeding-behavior; however, it deceased with the individual host-bird-types. The existence of these triggers therefore decides over reception and not-reception of the young widows through the host-type.
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