Violet-eared Waxbill Granatina granatina Scientific name definitions

14 cm; 9·5-13·9 g. Male has forehead to superciliary region deep blue, crown rich chestnut, grading to paler rufous-brown on back and upperwing-coverts; rump and uppertail-coverts deep blue, long graduated tail black, most rectrices with basal two-thirds edged pale blue, flight-feathers brown; side of face (from below eye) to throat violet, lores brownish-black, chin to centre of throat black, rest of throat and underparts rich chestnut, lower belly and undertail-coverts brownish-black to black; iris reddish-orange to red-brown, broad eyering orange-red; bill red; legs brown-grey to dark grey. Female has anterior forehead and superciliary area pale blue, crown rufous-brown to brown, back grey-brown, rump to tail paler blue than on male, cheek, ear-coverts and side of face violet, lores dark grey, chin and throat buffy white, breast deep fawn, belly and flanks paler, lower belly to undertail-coverts pale cream; iris brown to reddish, eyering pale orange-red. Juvenile is similar to female, but blue on rump and tail paler, no blue on head, bill reddish-black, eyering blackish, iris brown; blue appears on forehead, black on lores and violet on cheeks before independence.

S Angola, SW Zambia and Zimbabwe S to Namibia, Botswana, N South Africa (S to N Northern Cape, Free State and Mpumalanga) and S Mozambique.

Small seeds of grasses and of the forb common purslane (Portulaca olearacea), fruits of small trees, nectar of aloes (Aloe); grass flowers also taken; also insects, including termites (Isoptera), small caterpillars, ants (Formicidae), beetles (Coleoptera). Nestlings fed with green grass seeds and termites. Grasses exploited in N South Africa include Panicum, Urochloa, Digitaria, Aristida, Sporobolus, Eragrostis and Tricholaena. Feeds on the ground ; also takes growing grass stem in bill and holds under foot before removing seeds from inflorescence, flies on to grass stem and bears it to the ground before taking seeds, and jumps from ground to take seeds from seedheads. De-husks seeds in the bill, one at a time; 34 small seeds of Tricholaena monachne taken in one minute. Uses bill to break open crust of termite galleries. Forages in pairs, sometimes in small groups; associates with Estrilda and Uraeginthus species.

Contact call "tsek"; excitement or threat call "chay chay chay"; nest call by male on nest (to attract female) 8 soft notes per second, changing in pitch within a series. Song  begins with harsh "chay chay" trill, each note rising and then falling, then fluting whistles, "tiu-woo-wee" or "chick-weeoo-weeyi" or "chi-tweeyo-tweeya-chwip", and ends with buzz and slurred whistle, "tiu-woo-wee". Male has several song themes and varies them within a song bout; female has shorter song, and pair sometimes countersings.

Breeding records, from a few weeks after first rains into dry season: in Botswana Dec–Jul (mainly Feb–Apr), in Zambia Dec–Apr, in Zimbabwe Oct–May (most records Jan–Mar), and in N South Africa Dec–May. In courtship, male holds a grass or feather in bill, erects feathers on face and flanks, and bows and bobs to female, brightly coloured face patches showing in sideways head movements. Territorial. Nest a loosely constructed ball with side entrance, made from dry grass stems , lined with feathers, placed from low down to 3 m above ground in thornbush; both sexes bring feathers to nest during egg and chick stages. Clutch 2–5 eggs; incubation period 14 days; hatchling skin blackish with long sparse greyish-white down, gape papillae white, upper pair larger, palate orange with 3–5 black spots, inner mouth black, tongue black (at hatching, becoming orange or yellow with black spots by fledging), sublingual band forming black chevron; nestling period 16–18 days; fledged young begin to develop blue face, violet cheek patch and black or blue lores between 24 and 35 days of age (remainder of juvenile plumage replaced weeks later), young males begin to sing by 30–32 days after leaving nest. Nests parasitized by Shaft-tailed Whydah (Vidua regia), nestlings of which mimic mouth pattern and colours of present species' nestling.