whydah

noun

whyd·ah ˈ(h)wi-də

: any of various mostly brownish African passerine birds (genera Euplectes and Vidua) often kept as cage birds and distinguished in the male by black-and-white plumage and by long tail feathers during the breeding season

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web While having a beautiful bird might not seem like much of a problem, the whydah is one of only about 100 parasitic birds in the world. —

Jason Daley, Smithsonian, 30 June 2017 The flashy whydah, Vidua macroura, is a native of sub-Saharan Africa. —

Jason Daley, Smithsonian, 30 June 2017 The availability of a host will also determine whether Florida becomes the U.S.’s third whydah population. —

Jenny Staletovich, miamiherald, 25 Oct. 2017 The flashy whydah, Vidua macroura, is a native of sub-Saharan Africa. —

Jason Daley, Smithsonian, 30 June 2017 The flashy whydah, Vidua macroura, is a native of sub-Saharan Africa. —

Jason Daley, Smithsonian, 30 June 2017 So Hammer checked with a birder friend who suggested looking up whydahs, which matched what Hammer observed. —

Jenny Staletovich, miamiherald, 25 Oct. 2017 And in California, scaly-breasted munias have been found feeding young whydahs. —

Joanna Klein, New York Times, 29 June 2017 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'whydah.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.