Indigobirds, whydahs, and cuckoo-finch belong to the family Viduidae, small passerine birds native to Africa. These finch-like species typically exhibit black or indigo plumage, with whydahs having long tails in breeding males. All are obligate brood parasites, laying 2–4 eggs in the nests of songbirds, primarily using firefinches and pytilias as hosts. Unlike some other brood parasites, they do not destroy host eggs. The similar appearance of many indigobird species makes them difficult to distinguish, with identification often relying on their associated finch species. They imitate their host’s song, a trait that helps females select mates with the same song, thereby reinforcing the species relationship. Speciation in this family is driven by this host-parasitism relationship, although genetic similarities indicate a recent origin.
