Genus Estrilda

Common Waxbill - It is a small bird, 11 to 13 centimetres in length with a wingspan of 12 to 14 centimetres and a weight of 7 to 10 grams. It has a slender body with short rounded wings and a long graduated tail. The bright red bill of the adult is the colour of sealing wax giving the bird its name. The plumage is mostly grey-brown, finely barred with dark brown. There is a red stripe through the eye and a reddish stripe along the centre of the belly. The cheeks and throat are whitish and there is often a pinkish flush to the underparts. The rump is brown and the tail and vent are dark. Females are similar to the males but are paler with less red on the belly. Juveniles are duller with little or no red on the belly, fainter dark barring and a black bill.

 

Black-headed Waxbill - It is found in Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda. The status of the species is evaluated as Least Concern.

Lavender waxbill - It is found in subtropical/ tropical dry shrubland habitats in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sudan, Togo & USA . The status of the species is evaluated as Least Concern.

 

Red-rumped Waxbill - It is found in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan and Tanzania. The status of the species is evaluated as Least Concern.

 

Black-cheeked Waxbill - It is found in Angola, Botswana, Kenya, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia & Zimbabwe. The status of the species is evaluated as Least Concern.

 

Swee Waxbill - It breeds in Angola, Benin, The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Chad, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. It has an estimated global extent of occurrence of 380,000 km².

 

Orange-cheeked Waxbill - Lives in small family parties or flocks of thirty of more individuals. Their high-pitched "peeps" are the best clue of their presence. Like most estridids, they are very acrobatic in their movements on twigs and grass stems, "climbing" up and down verticals and hanging upside down while feeding. Males usually have brighter orange patches on the abdomen.

 

Black-faced Waxbill - It is usually found in grassy plains with tall grasses and bushes, in small flocks. Most of the Black-lored Waxbill population is probably within the Upemba National Park but it is unclear to what extent is its habitat protected by the authority.

 

Black-crowned Waxbill - It is found in Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania & Uganda. The status of the species is evaluated as Least Concern.

 

Fawn-breasted Waxbill - The Fawn-breasted Waxbill is commonly found in subtropical/ tropical wet grassland habitsts in Angola, Burundi, Central African Republic, the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Gabon, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda & Zambia. However, it also inhabits dry forest and dry shrubland habitats. The status of the species is evaluated as Least Concern.

 

Black-tailed Waxbill - It is found in subtropical/ tropical moist shrubland habitats in Angola, the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia & Zimbabwe. The status of the species is evaluated as Least Concern.

 

Anambra Waxbill - Anambra Waxbill is approximately 12 cm long. This species is a dun-coloured finch with reddish brown bill and rump. At closer look, it will give a very fine barring on upperparts, sides of breast and flanks, with unusual pale eyes. It has a typical waxbill-like tzzzt call.

 

Crimson-rumped Waxbill - It is found in Burundi, The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, South Africa, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania & Uganda. The status of the species is evaluated as Least Concern.

 

Arabian Waxbill - Arabian Waxbill is usually found in wetter land of southern Tihamah foothills and the terraced slopes and Wadis of the western escarpments in Yemen. It can also be found along the south coast of Yemen east to Wadi al-Jahr and, in the extensively irrigated intensive agricultural areas of Wadi Hadramawt between Shibam and Tarim, usually with a dense cover of trees and bushes. The altitude of its habitats is approximately 250 to 2,600 m.

 

Cinderella Waxbill - The Cinderella Waxbill is found in subtropical and tropical dry shrubland, savanna and forest habitats at altitude of 200 to 500 m. It is observed that the recent development of a hydroelectric plant on the Cunene River at Epupa Falls has caused changes to insect biodiversity which were relied on by the Cinderella Waxbill during feeding of its young. Thus threatening its food source to be depleted. The Waxbill aslo eats a regular diet. It eats plants-grass seeds and nectar- as well as insects-scale insects and termite alates. The Cinderella is diurnal, which means that they are awake in the daytime and sleep at night.

Black-rumped waxbill - It is found in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Eritrea, Ethiopia, France , Gambia, Ghana, Guadeloupe, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Portugal , Puerto Rico, Senegal, Sudan, Togo, Uganda, USA & Virgin Islands . The status of the species is evaluated as Least Concern.

Order : Passeriformes
Family : Estrildidae
Genus : Estrilda