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.

The Common Waxbill is classified as Least Concern. Does not qualify for a more at risk category. Widespread and abundant taxa are included in this category.

The St Helena waxbill or common waxbill used to be one of the most common of waxbill species imported for the pet trade. That is until the ban in imports nearly 5 years ago now. So how are we doing with this the most wonderful of pet birds? Well there is a simple answer to that question, not very well. Yes captive breeding in the U.K is higher in number since 2006 but we breed a fraction in the U.K to the number bred on the continent. More

Common waxbills are found throughout much of Sub-Saharan Africa, and on the islands of Madagascar, Mauritius, St. Helena and New Caledonia. Their popularity has resulted in a great many translocations, and feral colonies are now well-established in Spain, Portugal, Trinidad, Hawaii, Brazil and elsewhere. They are birds of grasslands and sparsely wooded habitats, and may be seen in savannas, scrubland, farms, parks and around homes and gardens. More

The Common Waxbill has a variety of twittering and buzzing calls and a distinctive high-pitched flight-call. The simple song is harsh and nasal and descends on the last note. Distribution and habitat - Native range There are about 17 subspecies distributed widely across much of Africa south of the Sahara. They are present in most parts of East, Central and Southern Africa except for regions of desert or dense forest. More

very similar to African common waxbill (Estrilda astrild), is unrelated to it. Their similarities (bill, red brow, etc.) are due to convergent evolution, since their environmental pressures (weather, habitat, feeding) are similar. References - 1. ^ Christidis L, Boles WE (2008). Systematics and Taxonomy of Australian Birds. Canberra: CSIRO Publishing. pp. 177. ISBN 9780643065116. More

Europe the Common Waxbill has become widespread in Portugal and is spreading through Spain. There are small populations on Madeira and Gran Canaria and it has recently appeared on Tenerife and the Azores. In the Americas waxbills are found in Trinidad, several parts of Brazil and there are a few on Bermuda. In the Pacific there are populations on New Caledonia, Efate Island in Vanuatu, Tahiti and the Hawaiian Islands. More

Common WaxbillCrimson Crown BishopCrimson FinchCrimson WaxbillCrimson Wing WaxbillCuban FinchCut Throat FinchDiamond DoveDiamond SparrowDufresne WaxbillEuropean GoldfinchEuropean SerinGiant WhydahGolden SparrowGreen Front LeafbirdGreenfinchGray Head SilverbillGreen AvadavatGreen Back TwinspotGreenfinchGrenadier WeaverHalf Masked WeaverHawfinchHill MynahIndian SilverbillJava SparrowLined SeedeaterLong Tail FinchMadagascar MannikinMagpie MannikinMasked FinchMasked WeaverMelba FinchNapoleon BishopOlive FinchOrange Breasted BuntingOrange Cheeked WaxbillOriental ZosteropsOrtolan BuntingPainted QuailParadise WhydahPekin RobinPeter's Twin SpotPintail Parrot FinchPintail WhydahQuail FinchQueen WhydahRed Billed Fire FinchRed Cheek CordonRed Collar WhydahRed Cowled CardinalRed Crested CardinalRed CrossbillRed Eared BulbulRed Ear WaxbillRedhead FinchRed Head QueleaRed SiskinRedtail Lavender BirdRed Throat FinchRed Vent BulbulRufous Neck WeaverSaffron BuntingScaly Crown WeaverSenegal CombassouSong ThrushSpeckle Front WeaverSpice FinchStar FinchStrawberry FinchSuperb TanagerViolet Ear WaxbillWhite Head MannikinWhite Rump SeedeaterWhitethroat More

The Common Waxbill is an absolutely beautiful finch. This small bird is typically found in large flocks, sometimes numbering in the thousands. The Common Waxbill feeds on grass seeds, fruit flies, and small worms. Also known as the St. Helena Waxbill. St. Helena is a small island in the southern Atlantic ocean. Appearance: Gray-brown upperparts, lower breast, and belly. Fine barring on back, wings, sides, lower breast, belly, and tail. More

The Common waxbill is grey-brown above, including the top of the head. It has a broad, bright red eye-stripe, and the underparts are pinkish white, finely barred blackish. The centre of the belly is red, and the undertail is black. It has a longish broad-looking tail. The common waxbill is a very common species of rank grass, usually near water. It also occurs in gardens, and on the edge of thornveld, or farmland. It lives on seeds, fruit and insects. More

The Common Waxbill is a Southern African bird that belongs to the Estrildidae bird family group which includes birds such as Waxbills, Firefinches, Twinspots. The description for the Common Waxbill (Latin name Estrilda astrild) can be found in the 7th Edition of the Roberts Birds of Southern Africa. The Estrilda astrild can be quickly identified by its unique Roberts identification number of 846 and the detailed description of this bird is on page 1051. More

The common waxbill can be encouraged to visit gardens that have a feeding tray in it, and it is a popular cage bird. It prefers feeding on the ground, and can often be seen, and heard, in the open veld, or in gardens. More

Common Waxbill has more distinct dark cross-barring on its feathers, a brown rump, and lacks the white lining around its tail. In addition, the Common Waxbill has a crimson stripe which extends down the center of its breast and belly. Comparing the Black-rumped and Common Waxbills Sexing - The rose colored patch on the hen's underside can be paler than the cock's, although this may not be a reliable indicator of sex. More

Common Waxbills have been known to hybridize with the Black-rumped Waxbill and the Goldbreasted Waxbill (Amandava subflava), so take care not to allow these species to interbreed. Breeding season - In the wild, Common Waxbills breed during the African rainy season. More

red-eared waxbill, the common waxbill is termed the St. Helena waxbill and the rosy-rumped waxbill is called the Sundevall's waxbill (frequently misspelt Sundervall's). All three species are indigenous to Africa, which means they occur there naturally. The black-rumped (Estrilda troglodytes) is found in an almost straight line, just above the middle of the country, from Senegal and the Gambia on the west coast to falling just short of the east coast, reaching as far as western Ethiopia and western Kenya. More

Common Waxbills (Estrilda astrild) are fascinating birds, which are quite popular among aviculturists worldwide. Colorful, highly social and undoubtedly very cute and easy to keep makes them do attractive for many bird-lovers. Easy to keep doesn’t tell the whole story. They are tricky to breed, surprisingly this doesn’t stop to be the most successful colonizer among the Estildian-family – only the Spive finch comes close to the success rate of this species. More

Common Waxbill has grey upperparts, finely, but conspicuously barred grey-brown. Underparts are pinkish-beige, barred dark grey on the flanks. In the middle of the belly, we can see an elongated bright red patch, more or less conspicuous according to each bird. This patch becomes paler while extending to breast and body sides. The tail is fairly broad at base. Undertail coverts and vent are blackish. The tip area is black and whitish. More

In Mauritius the Common waxbill is a common bird, found in grasslands, sugar cane plantations, suburban areas, and in open areas inside the forest. The Common Waxbill is native to most of the subaharian Africa and it is an introduced species that has been recorded in many islands like Cabo Verde, Sao Tom More

common waxbill kruger national park birds The Common Waxbill (Latin name Estrilda astrild) is described in Roberts Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition. This bird has a unique Roberts number of 846 and you will find a full description of this bird on page 1051 also a picture of the Common Waxbill on page 1057. The Common Waxbill belongs to the family of birds classified as Estrildidae. More