Family Waxbills (Estrildidae)
Least Concern
Red-faced Crimsonwing (Cryptospiza reichenovii)
Taxonomy
French: Astrild de Reichenow German: Reichenowastrild Spanish: Estrilda de Reichenow
Taxonomy:
Pytelia reichenovii
Hartlaub
, 1874,Bondongo, Cameroon
.
Subspecies and Distribution
C. r. reichenovii
(Hartlaub, 1874) – SE Nigeria (Obudu Plateau), W Cameroon, Bioko and NW Angola (Gabela region).
C. r. ocularis
Sharpe, 1902 – mountains of Albertine Rift in E DRCongo, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi.
C. r. australis
Shelley, 1896 – mountains in Tanzania, extreme NE Zambia, Malawi, W Mozambique and E Zimbabwe.
Descriptive notes
10–11 cm; 10·5-14·5 g (australis). Male nominate race has red mask on lores and around eye, rest of head and underside olive, flanks deep crimson; upperparts... read more
Voice
Call a high metallic "sit-sit", often given in trills; also louder "sweeee" or "tzeet". Song soft,... read more
Habitat
Thickets, dense undergrowth of primary and secondary forest, also exotic pine plantations with... read more
Food and feeding
Seeds of Acanthaceae, grasses, balsam (Impatiens), Urera creeper, Hagenia abyssinica, patula pine (Pinus... read more
Breeding
Season Oct–Dec in Cameroon, Apr–Jun and Aug–Oct in DRCongo, nearly all year in Tanzania, Jun–Sept in Zambia, Mar... read more
Movements
Resident, seasonal altitudinal migrant and local wanderer. Appears near sea-level in non-breeding... read more
Status and conservation
Not globally threatened. Scarce or uncommon to locally abundant. Fairly common in NW of range (Nigeria, Cameroon); uncommon in Angola. Common in most regions in E parts of... read more
Proposed race homogenes, described from E Zimbabwe (Stapleford Forest Reserve, in Umtali district), treated as a synonym of australis. Three subspecies recognized.