Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Any of several African songbirds of the genus Vidua, the male of which grows long, drooping, predominantly black tail feathers during the breeding season.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun See whidah, whidahbird.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun name for various African, black-and-white weaverbirds with distinctive drooping long tail-feathers on males in mating season, suitable as cage birds

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun mostly black African weaverbird

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Probably alteration of widow (bird).]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

alteration of the first component of widow bird

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Examples

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  • A small African finch of any of several African weaverbirds. Males have long, drooping tail feathers during the breeding season.

    February 14, 2007