An interesting bird in a number of ways. The male, shown here in breeding plumage, apparently has a memorable display flight, hovering over one of the females in his harem and flapping his tail. We saw him on a branch with just one female nearby, and hoped to catch him in flight but didn't. He loses that magnificent tail after breeding season ends. The species parasitizes the Common Waxbill. A slight head-turn would have been nice here, but the only frame I got with a head turn also had the tail drooping down to intersect the horizontal branch. (I considered a head transplant, but thought better of it.)
D500, Sigma 150-600C @ 550mm; ISO 2000, 1/2500s @ f/7.1. HH from vehicle.
Man that tail is impressive. A nice perch too. Yes to having a slight head turn, but can't control that. Nice BG, although I think I would do just a tad less NR. Looks like the sigma really worked out for this trip. TFS
Hey Bill - this is a really cool looking bird. I like your bg and perch, and I love your subject to bg distance here..the separation really makes the bird stand out.
Good pose, good background, good perch. Head angle is not perfect but not a deal breaker. I think your bigger problem is that the head looks a little soft and the whites on the face and nape look hot. I'd try to see if you can tone that and run a bit more sharpening on the face.
Birds will super long tails like this are a compositional challenge, but you've done well here. Clean frame and cool perch work well.
Head angle could be better, but it's still a good shot. Bit of posterization in the dark area in front of the bird.
Pin-tailed Whydah
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