Black-rumped Waxbill
Estrilda troglodytes
A tiny finch of dry grasslands, thickets, and grassy woodlands. Similar to Common Waxbill, but note black rump, unbarred back, white (not dark) undertail, and square-tipped tail. Sexes are similar, but males have a faint pink wash on the underparts that females lack. Gives various nasal and rasping calls; song is two note ‘chee-churr!’. Native to Africa and introduced to several Caribbean islands, Japan, Spain, and the Hawaiian islands (apparently now extirpated).
Taxonomy
The black-rumped waxbill was first described by Hinrich Lichtenstein in 1823, and at the time was placed in the Fringilla genus. When the Estrilda genus was described in 1850, this species was moved there. It was at one point thought to be conspecific with the Arabian waxbill.
- Scientific name
- Estrilda troglodytes
- Authority
- (Lichtenstein, MHC, 1823)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Estrildidae
- Genus
- Estrilda
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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