Weaver Wednesday  - Discovery : White-winged Widowbird2015-08-26 (664)
Weaver Wednesday (species text)
White-winged Widowbird Euplectes albonotatus
IntroductionThe White-winged Widowbird was formally described by John Cassin, an American ornithologist.
The White-winged Widowbird was collected by Jules Pierre Verreaux, a French botanist and ornithologist. Jules and his brothers were professional collectors of and traders in natural history specimens, who worked in South Africa and other parts of the world. The White-winged Widowbird specimens are labelled as Port Natal (Durban) and Cap. de B. Esp. (the Cape - Jules Verreaux worked at the South African Museum for several years, but the species would have been collected north of the Cape). Unfortunately, the Verreaux brothers did not usually keep good records on localities and dates of where specimens were collected. Although the precise collection locality is not certain, Durban is adequate as a type locality for the White-winged Widowbird.
White-winged Widowbird specimens were sent to the Verreaux business in Paris where Edward Wilson obtained 3 of the widow specimens to take to the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, formerly the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia (ANSP), the oldest natural science research institution and museum in the New World. Cassin was curator of the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences and he described many species of bird as they arrived at the museum.
The first illustration of a White-winged Widowbird is a colour painting published by Cassin 1849. The second illustration was published by Hartlaub 1863, of the subspecies eques that was collected by John Hanning Speke.
Scientific citationVidua albonotata Cassin 1848 Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philad., p65 Port Natal = Durban, KwaZulu-Natal.
Meaning of namesalbonotata/albonotatus - Latin albus, white; notatus, marked (notare, to mark).
First English nameThe white-shouldered Widow (Reichenbach 1863).
Alternate namesAngola White-winged Whydah, Cinnamon-shouldered Widowbird, East African White-winged Whydah, The white-shouldered Widow, White-fronted Widow-Bird, White-winged Whydah.
Date collectedLong before 1848, but date unknown.
Locality collectedPort Natal = Durban.
Type specimensANSP 14224, ANSP 14225 and ANSP 14226 in Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University.