About Vidua interjecta (Grote, 1922)
Vidua interjecta, commonly called the exclamatory paradise whydah or Uelle paradise whydah, is a bird species that belongs to the Viduidae family. This species occurs in the Sudanian savanna region, specifically within the countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, the extreme north of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, South Sudan, and Togo. It was originally described as a subspecies of the closely related long-tailed paradise whydah, Vidua paradisaea, which is native to eastern and southern Africa, and was formerly treated as the same species as that taxon. Females and non-breeding males of Vidua interjecta measure 13 to 14 cm in total length. Breeding males grow exceptionally long tail feathers that bring their full total length to 38 to 40 cm. Compared to the long-tailed paradise whydah, Vidua interjecta has distinct physical differences: breeding males of this species have a marginally shorter and broader tail, and an orange-toned nape instead of a buff nape, while females have a pink bill rather than a dark grey bill. Vidua interjecta is also very similar in appearance to the Sahel paradise whydah, Vidua orientalis, and the two species share overlapping geographic ranges. Males of Vidua interjecta differ from Sahel paradise whydah males by having a longer tail, and again, females of Vidua interjecta have a pink bill instead of the dark grey bill of female Sahel paradise whydahs.
