An improbable bird with an improbable name. Certainly when I first saw a breeding male in flight my language was too extreme to quote again here!

The Paradise Wydahs are brood parasites with this species parasitising the Red-winged Pytilia. The very similar Sahel Paradise Wydah differs by the males having a tail length of only 2.5x rather than 3x the body length. The Sahel Paradise Wydah parasitises the Green-winged Pytilia.

Both Paradise Wydah males mimic the songs of their host species. In limited studies to date, the genetic difference between Sahel & Exclamatory Paradise Wydahs is less than is observed in some single wide-ranging bird species. It may be that isolation of populations by breeding behaviour (song mimicry) is running ahead of genetic differentiation in the Paradise Wydahs.

These are stunning & improbable birds which are only a few months in breeding plumage, presumably the risk of predation is high as they share habitat with numerous raptors.