Whydah Always in Breeding Plumage?

[flrancho]

I've had a pair of Pin-tailed Whydahs for a few years now. When I got them, they were both very young (at least the male), as he was in juvenile plumage and was just starting to turn black and white. I've had both my Whydahs, a male and female, for about two years now.

I knew male Whydahs looked different in the breeding season, turning from the color of the hen to a black and white color and developing a very long tail. My male is just beautiful when he looks like this..... however, he always looks like this.

My understanding is that when it is not breeding season, the male Whydah is supposed to go back to being the color of the hen. My male is always black and white and never goes back to the hen colors in my two years or so of having him. He does loose his long tail feathers, but within a few months he gets new ones in to replace them. In the meantime, he's staying the black and white color.

I don't know what's causing him to always stay in "breeding colors". I thought maybe it was the food/water I'm supplying them, or the geographical area of which he's living, or that maybe he has a medical condition of having too much testosterone or something that is keeping him in breeding colors instead of him changing back to normal colors? I don't know.

Its not a major concern of mine, as I don't think its anything threatening, but from what I've read I don't think its normal.

[L in Ontario]

My daughter has two male Pin-tailed Whydahs (bought as a m/f pair) and they both moult back and forth between full breeding plumage and non-breeding plumage (when they both look like hens).

[cute finch boy]

Whydahs are a tricky little bird to understand....

i bought my first "pair" of paradise whydahs from a person who deals birds.... had them for over a year! when i got them the male was in GREAT color! they had plastic bands on the legs as well... a few months later... he moulted out and turned in a brown little bird like the hen... as time went on he grew his tail and color back... hen stayed the same... a few months later he moulted out.... and then back again... hen always stayed brown....

he got out of the flight one day and out the open garage door! gone! never seen again!

a few months went on... and the HEN moulted into color and grew a tail!!!! WTH!!!

found out later that if a DOMINATE male is around that the lesser bird (sometimes) will not moult into to color... maybe for fear of aggression....

now as for the PINTAILS... i have had some pintails that never moulted either... or that dropped the tails but then never regrew them... why??? i dont know....

pesky lil pains they are!