This is a bird that I have always been interested in because when I was much younger they were very commonly kept in captivity and you would see them in just about any bird dealers shop. This was sad really because most would not have been looked after properly and they never bred in captivity. This is a bird that has a very interesting breeding cycle. They are a brood parasite and lay their eggs in the nests of small waxbill finches. The female is totally sexually dimorphic and does not resemble the male in any way except in the non breeding season when he loses all his finery and finishes up looking like the smart, but drab female. The tail is fluttered around like streamers and is almost twice the length of the birds body. It constantly flutters in the wind both when at rest and in flight. When I watched yesterday, this male was very territorial and chased off all other intruders when he spotted them. This included even a Cape Bulbul which is probably 3 times it’s size. As someone who is really interested in birds rather than just as photographic subjects I can’t describe what pleasure it gave me to see this very familiar but wild bird acting naturally rather than the way I got to know the species.

Overtime the female was spotted by the male he would flutter around her not giving her any peace whatsoever, she seemed to only have time to herself when he was off chasing away intruders. It is difficult to judge size in a species but as a guide, the female below is larger than a willow warbler but smaller than a house sparrow.