Long-tailed Widowbird

Euplectes progne

During breeding season, the male Long-tailed Widowbird is unmistakable — a jet-black bird trailing half-meter-long tail feathers in slow, fluttering display flights over African grasslands. Found across eastern and southern Africa, the male's extravagant tail is one of the most dramatic examples of sexual selection in birds. Outside breeding season, males molt to drab brown.