Birds come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors to aid them – there’s plenty of variation among avians, who range from the tiny bee hummingbird to the powerful cassowary. But you may give a second glance to birds you spot with unique characteristics. Birds with long tails are usually uncommon, but there’s plenty to learn about this unusual trait.
Birds with long tails have developed these flashy feathers for various reasons, often to attract mates or to assist them with balance. In this article, we’ve compiled eight bird species known for their long tails – you may be surprised by some of the species that make the list.
1. Indian Peafowl (Pavo cristatus)
The Indian Peafowl is an iconic, regal bird originating from the Indian subcontinent. Now commonly kept in captivity, they’re distributed throughout the world and can often be spotted as unique pets, wandering freely in zoos, or present on farms.
Females don’t have particularly long tail feathers, but males are known for their long ‘trains’ of feathers, which fan out for use in courtship displays. In the wild, male peafowls are primarily blue and green, while females are brown; in captivity, several color mutations have been bred, such as leucistic (white) and pied.
Despite common misconceptions, the long tail feathers of peacocks do not hinder them in flight.
2. Resplendent Quetzal (Pharomachrus mocinno)
Resplendent Quetzals are bright, cheery green birds found throughout tropical forests in Central America and Mexico. While females are duller overall and have shorter tail feathers, males are known for their iridescent green plumage and long tail feathers.
In actuality, the perception of the bird being green is due to light reflecting off of the feathers; their plumage is actually brown due to the pigment melanin. Both parents care for the young in this species, however, males provide more food and typically take over near the end of the rearing period, where females often abandon the nest.
Unfortunately, this gorgeous bird is now considered Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List, primarily due to habitat destruction in their native range.
3. Long-tailed Widowbird (Euplectes progne)
As you might expect from their name, the Long-tailed Widowbird’s defining trait is the males’ extremely long tails. This African species is known as an example of sexual selection in birds – females prefer males with long trains of feathers, although it seems that this noticeable plumage attracts predators and detracts from the males’ chances of survival overall.
These long trains are only visible for part of the year; outside of the breeding season, males shed their long trains and the sexes are both brown overall and similar in appearance.
4. Long-tailed Duck (Clangula hyemalis)
This medium-sized sea duck, sometimes also known as the coween or oldsquaw, is found wintering along northern coastlines of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and breeding in the tundra & taiga regions of the Arctic.
This unique bird is the only member of their genus, and is known for the males’ noticeably long, pointed tail feathers. They are social birds, known for congregating in large flocks in winter and during migration. They are talented divers that primarily feed on aquatic prey including mollusks, crustaceans, and small fish.
These birds have faced a significant decline, partially due to accidental capture in gill nets; for this reason, they are listed by the IUCN as Vulnerable.
5.Superb Lyrebird (Menura novaehollandiae)
The Superb Lyrebird is a unique passerine bird endemic to Australia, and one of two lyrebirds (the other being the less common Albert’s lyrebird). Even so, they are the only lyrebird to possess the notable characteristic of the male’s long, ornate tail feathers, which are used in courtship rituals.
This bird is known not only for their appearance, but their incredible mimicry skills. They are similar in size to a pheasant, with males reaching about 1 m (39 inches) in length and weighing in at 1.1 kg (2.4lb). The males’ tail feathers can reach 28 inches in length, with two outer feathers called ‘lyrates’ due to their resemblance to a lyre giving the lyrebird their moniker. Juveniles and females lack long tail feathers; males reach maturity at 7-9 years of age, so it can take quite a while to grow into their showstopping plumage.
6. Red-billed Streamertail (Trochilus polytmus)
The Red-billed Streamertail is the national bird of Jamaica, where they’re endemic and well-loved. And there’s good reason to appreciate these unique hummingbirds, whose tail ‘streamers’ surpass the length of the birds’ overall bodies. Weighing only 0.11 to 0.23 oz, these small birds have surprisingly large personalities. They are known for ‘robbing’ nectar from holes in flowers created by bananaquits, as well as helping themselves to wells drilled by yellow-bellied sapsuckers. Both sexes are known for aggressively defending their territory, like many other hummingbirds.
7.Fork-tailed Flycatcher (Tyrannus savana)
The Fork-tailed Flycatcher is a passerine bird found from southern Mexico throughout much of South America. While males and females both display the namesake forked tail feathers, they’re longer in males, even surpassing the tail of the similar scissor-tailed flycatcher.
Fork-tailed flycatchers are primarily migratory, though some populations don’t migrate; migratory populations’ wings tend to be more pointed. Their wings are known to make a distinct whistling sound; the males’ wings also make dry, crackling sounds during mating displays. During migration, these birds are quite gregarious, and may nest in flocks of up to 10,000 individuals.
They primarily feed on insects, but will feed on fruits and berries in winter when insects are more scarce. Like other flycatchers, they catch their prey in flight – their long tails are useful in helping the birds make sharp turns to catch flying insects.
8.White-throated Magpie-Jay (Cyanocorax formosus)
The white-throated magpie-jay is a colorful species of corvid found in thorn forests ranging from Mexico to Costa Rica. They are noisy, social birds that often travel in chatty large flocks. While both sexes have long tails, the tails are slightly shorter in females.
Like most other members of the crow & raven family, these magpie-jays are omnivorous and are opportunistic feeders that will consume everything from nectar to other birds’ nestlings. While adults are adept at foraging, it can take juveniles several years to become skilled at finding their own food. They are intelligent and on occasion can be found in the pet trade, although they aren’t domesticated and require knowledgeable care.
Conclusion
Birds with long tails are an impressive sight to behold, as many species have shorter tails – long tails can be a hassle and make it harder for birds to avoid predators. So, it must be ‘worth it’ for birds to develop long tails – oftentimes, the longer the tail, the more likely males are to attract a mate with many of these species.
Hopefully, you’ll be able to spot species in your area with long tails and know more about how their unique plumage impacts their behavior. If you have birds with long tails near you, you may be presented with a great opportunity to learn more about them and their unique lives.
