Common Waxbill Estrilda astrild Scientific name definitions

Widespread on the African continent, from West Africa to the Horn of Africa, and south to South Africa, this diminutive species has also been widely introduced, especially onto islands in many parts of the world. In our region, the Common Waxbill, an easily identified bird due to its red ‘bandit’ mask, is best known in Brazil, where the species certainly became established during the 19th century, perhaps as early as the 1820s, but that it did not start to spread widely until the second third of the 20th century. There are now records from many parts of the east of the country, and the Common Waxbill has even reached central Amazonia, from where there are reports in the vicinity of Manaus. There seems to be some doubt as to whether or not the species has been introduced onto Puerto Rico, but the Common Waxbill arrived on Trinidad around 1990 and there is now a self-sustaining population in the south and west of the island, with one record from Tobago.

9·5–13 cm; 5–11 g. Male nominate race has red stripe from lores to above ear-coverts; top of head and upperparts pale greyish brown, finely barred dark brown, flight-feathers and tail dark brown, tail feathers lightly barred; lower face and throat off-white to pale greyish, often tinged pinkish, breast, flanks and sides of belly buffy brown, tinged pink and narrowly barred dark brown, centre of belly bright pink, vent and undertail-coverts black; iris dark brown, eyering grey; bill red; legs black. Female differs from male in having underparts less pink, belly patch smaller, vent and undertail-coverts fuscous. Juvenile is like adult, but underparts buffier, pinkish in mid-line, red eyestripe paler and narrower, feather barring less intense, bill black, white swellings at gape. Races differ mainly in plumage tone, amount of pinkish in plumage, and prominence of barring: tenebridorsa is slightly darker than nominate, underparts more brown; <em>damarensis</em> is paler than nominate, top of head greyer; jagoensis is paler with dark barring less distinct than previous; niediecki is slightly darker than damarensis, more grey-brown than nominate, and more boldly barred; cavendishi has lower face and throat whiter, throat tinged pink, barring above more prominent, broad red or reddish-pink longitudinal stripe on centre of belly; angolensis is like previous, but has stronger pink wash on upperparts and flanks; rubriventris has strong pink tinge, upperparts darker, tinged red (especially rump and uppertail-coverts), cheeks tinged pink, breast to belly and flanks rosy red; minor is small, paler than cavendishi, red confined to belly patch; massaica is larger and darker than last, like cavendishi but less pink below, red confined to belly patch; <em>peasei</em> resembles previous, but barring below restricted to flanks; macmillani is smaller than preceding race, paler above and below, pink of breast and belly less intense; adesma is greyer above than last, with more pronounced barring, no distinct belly patch; occidentalis is similar to peasei, but less barred on breast, no distinct belly patch, underparts less pink; kempi differs from last in having upperparts greyer.

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Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

Tall grass, grassy fields, swamps and marshes, sedge (Cyperaceae) marshes, grassy edges of streams and dams, grassy clearings, acacia (Acacia) savanna, montane grassland, abandoned cultivation, and grassy areas in towns and gardens. Recorded to 2200 m in Zambia and 3030 m in Ethiopia.

Resident, with some local movements. Nomadic movements reported in E Africa; in South Africa, near Cape Town , more common in spring and early summer (Sept–Feb) than in rest of year. Recoveries of marked individuals in South Africa at 20 km and 35 km from site of ringing.

Small grass seeds , also seeds of sedges and of herbs, including stinging nettles (Laportea); also small insects, including ants (Formicidae), termites (Isoptera) and moths (Lepidoptera). Takes unripe grass seeds from fruiting head while perching or clinging on stem; also jumps from ground to bring seeding head down to ground , and holds the head under foot as it takes seeds. Also picks fallen seeds on ground . Twice reported feeding on flowers; of an Aloe sp. and Searsia lancea. Gregarious, forages generally in small groups; outside breeding season also in larger flocks of up to 40 birds (but up to 300 at roosts). Often tame.

Contact call a sharp “jip”; distance contact call or song 2–3 sharp notes followed by rising bubbling sound, “ti-cket please!” or “di-di-di-JEEE”.

Breeds at any time of year in Gabon, in Sept–Nov and Mar on Bioko, and May, Jun and Aug–Sept in Ethiopia; in E Africa in second half of rainy season, in Uganda Mar–Jul, with a few records Oct–Jan; Dec–Apr (mainly Jan–Feb) in Zambia and Dec–Apr also in Malawi; in South Africa, Nov–Jun in N, Sept–Oct in SW (near Cape Town) and Nov–Dec in Eastern Cape. Seasonality poorly known for introduced populations, but breeding records in Dec–May in New Caledonia. Double- or even treble-brooded in Kenya. In courtship, male takes slender grass stem, flies to perch and holds stem in upward-angled bill, fluffs belly and flank feathers, tilts body away from female to expose underparts, angles tail and head towards her, jerks up and down as he stretches and flexes legs, and after a few jerks he sings; female responds with same display, but does not sing. Nest a large hollow ball (90–125 mm × 90–160 mm) with side entrance (70–380 mm long) and sometimes a downspout, and with open “cock’s nest” above (c. 65 mm wide), made from grass, the ball lined with fine grass and grass-heads and often with bits of fur picked from dung of carnivores (especially cats), built on ground or low in bush (up to 3 m above ground); nests with dung odour less likely to suffer predation. Nests solitarily, spaced at densities of 0·8–10 ha/pair (South Africa). Clutch 3–9 (mainly 5–7) white eggs, size 12·4–16·1 mm × 9·9–11·7 mm, mean weight 0·87 g; incubation period 11–12 days; nestling naked, skin pink, after a few days darkening to pinkish grey, above gape a C-shaped white swelling, below it two white papillae with black base (when mouth closed, anterior lower papilla fits into arc of upper swelling, posterior papilla behind upper arc, and gape appears as black spot surrounded by white swelling), palate pink with ring of five spots, tongue has black bar; nestling period 17–21 days; fledglings fed by both parents, independent at 4–5 weeks. Brood-parasitized by Pin-tailed Whydah (Vidua macroura). Capable of breeding from six months old. Mean annual survival estimated at c. 41% in S Africa, but at 61% in Malawi. Longevity up to 8·75 years.

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). This species is widespread and generally common to locally abundant; local and uncommon in Ivory Coast and Sudan. Status in Ghana uncertain; one old record from Tumu (near Burkina Faso border), and species possibly resident locally in NW (near Ivory Coast border); former reports of local abundance there suggest that species may have declined, and some recent records might involve escaped cagebirds. Uncommon in most of S Mozambique (Sul do Save), where population perhaps in excess of 20,000 individuals. Densities of 125 pairs/km² in rural districts and 10 pairs/km² in suburbs in South Africa; 230 birds/km² of acacia savanna in Swaziland. Range reported to be contracting S recently in Northern Cape, South Africa. Some introduced populations potentially significant, e.g. between 10,000 and 100,000 breeding pairs estimated in Portugal in 1990s.