CreatureData

Fan-tailed widowbird

Euplectes axillaris (A. Smith, 1838)

LCLeast Concernsongbirds

The fan-tailed widowbird (Euplectes axillaris) is a species in the family Ploceidae, order Passeriformes. Recorded adults weigh 22 g to 29.5 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Fan-tailed widowbird (Euplectes axillaris)
Photo: Bernard DUPONT from FRANCE · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the fan-tailed widowbird

Weight
22 g – 29.5 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
Not recorded
Diet
Granivoresrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
grasslandsrc for Habitat
Young per litter or clutch
2.8src for Young per litter or clutch
Lifestyle
Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Sedentarysrc for Migration
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the fan-tailed widowbird live?

Not recorded

What is the fan-tailed widowbird?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

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.

From the Wikipedia article “Fan-tailed widowbird” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fan-tailed_widowbird&oldid=1380715674), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the fan-tailed widowbird endangered?

The fan-tailed widowbird is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species. What the categories mean.

How is the fan-tailed widowbird classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderPasseriformes
  5. familyPloceidae
  6. genusEuplectes
  7. SpeciesEuplectes axillaris (A. Smith, 1838)

Synonyms Vidua axillaris

Other names and names in other languages (40)
  • FTWIEnglish
  • Red-shouldered whydahEnglish
  • Red-shouldered whydahEnglish
  • Red-shouldered widow-birdEnglish
  • Red-shouldered widowbirdEnglish
  • KortstertflapAfrikaans
  • Kortstert-flapAfrikaans
  • bisbe cua de ventallCatalan
  • vida vějířováCzech
  • gweddw ysgwyddgochWelsh
  • Rødskuldret VidafinkeDanish
  • StummelwidaGerman
  • Stummel-WidaGerman
  • StummelweberGerman
  • ventumilvosta teksbirdoEsperanto
  • Obispo de abanicoSpanish
  • punasiipipiispaFinnish
  • Euplecte à épaules rougesFrench
  • Euplecte à épaules orangéesFrench
  • Veuve à épaulettes orangéesFrench
  • širokorepa pletiljaCroatian
  • Vedova codaventaglioItalian
  • アカガタホウオウJapanese
  • skėstauodegis aksominis audėjasLithuanian
  • RoodschouderwidavinkDutch
  • rødvingeveverNorwegian
  • wikłacz wachlarzowatyPolish
  • bispo-cauda-de-lequePortuguese
  • bispo-de-espáduas-vermelhasPortuguese
  • viúva-de-espáduas-vermelhasPortuguese
  • Красноплечий ткачикRussian
  • Красноплечий бархатный ткачRussian
  • tkáčik vejárochvostýSlovak
  • Crvenoramena vidaSerbian
  • kortstjärtad vidafinkSwedish
  • Turuncu Omuzlu DulkuşuTurkish
  • moLopeTswana
  • вайдаг червоноплечийUkrainian
  • 扇尾寡婦鳥Chinese
  • 扇尾巧织雀Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the fan-tailed widowbird

Other species in the same genus Euplectes.

CompareFan-tailed widowbird vs Southern red bishopFan-tailed widowbird vs Long-tailed widowbirdFan-tailed widowbird vs Northern red bishopFan-tailed widowbird vs Yellow-crowned bishop

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the fan-tailed widowbird?

An adult fan-tailed widowbird weighs 22 g – 29.5 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the fan-tailed widowbird endangered?

The fan-tailed widowbird is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

What kind of animal is the fan-tailed widowbird?

The fan-tailed widowbird (Euplectes axillaris) belongs to the family Ploceidae in the order Passeriformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Fan-tailed widowbird (Euplectes axillaris). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/fan-tailed-widowbird

MLA

“Fan-tailed widowbird (Euplectes axillaris).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/fan-tailed-widowbird.

BibTeX
@misc{fan_tailed_widowbird_2026,
  title = {Fan-tailed widowbird (Euplectes axillaris)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/fan-tailed-widowbird},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}