Sahel Paradise-Whydah

The females are 13–14 cm (5.1–5.5 in) long, tawny above with narrow mantle streaking; in females a dark line extends behind the eye. When in non-breeding plumage, the males are similar to the females; juveniles are also similar to adult females. The males in breeding plumage have black back and wings, with a rufous breast and pale belly; the head is black, with a pale nape; this is straw-yellow in the nominate eastern subspecies V. o. orientalis, and chestnut-toned like the breast in the western subspecies V. o. aucupum. The feet and the bill are dark grey. The dual-length ornamental tail feathers are black. These tail feathers have a width of 24–32 millimetres (0.94–1.26 in) and give breeding season males a full length of 30–31 cm (12–12 in).

Vidua orientalis is a resident breeding bird in the Sahel region of north tropical Africa. It lives in open acacia savannah with scattered trees.

The Sahel paradise whydah does not build its own nests, but parasitises the green-winged pytilia Pytilia melba. Like other whydahs, it does not destroy the host's eggs, but they deposit their own eggs in the nests of their hosts, adding them to those already present. As in other whydah species, the songs of the males mimic the song of their hosts. These birds do not form monogamous pairs, but males will breed with many females. In a breeding season females may lay about 22 eggs, that hatch after 12–13 days of incubation. The diet consists of seeds and grain.

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