widow bird
nounEtymology Compound of widow + bird. The name for the family Viduidae derives from the genus name Vidua, from post-classical Latin vidua (“widow”) for males' black plumage, which resembles the mourning clothes of a widow. Compare whydah, from Whydah, a city in the Kingdom of Dahomey, now Ouidah, Benin. The terms widow-bird and whydah-bird influenced one another due to association of one species with the city.
1
Any of several species of birds in the family Viduidae, incorporating whydahs and widow finches.
2
Any of several species of birds in the genus Euplectes.
- Derived terms
- long-tailed widowbird, red-collared widowbird