Blue-capped Cordonbleu
Uraeginthus cyanocephalus
A slim, long-tailed, pretty waxbill. The upperparts are pale brown, the underparts and tail blue, and the bill pink. Males have an almost completely blue head, while females have a brown crown and back of the neck. Found in dry thorn savanna and thorn scrub, often in small flocks, sometimes with other waxbills, including other cordonbleus. In the areas of overlap, females are easily confused with Southern and Red-cheeked Cordonbleus, but separated by their brighter pinkish bill. The common call is a high-pitched “tzee-tzee.”
Identification
A slim, long-tailed, pretty waxbill. The upperparts are pale brown, the underparts and tail blue, and the bill pink. Males have an almost completely blue head, while females have a brown crown and back of the neck. Found in dry thorn savanna and thorn scrub, often in small flocks, sometimes with other waxbills, including other cordonbleus. In the areas of overlap, females are easily confused with Southern and Red-cheeked Cordonbleus, but separated by their brighter pinkish bill. The common call is a high-pitched “tzee-tzee.”
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Uraeginthus cyanocephalus
- Authority
- (Richmond, 1897)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Estrildidae
- Genus
- Uraeginthus
Range and habitat
The blue-capped cordon-bleu inhabits the subtropical or tropical (lowland) dry grasslands, shrublands, and deserts of subsaharan Africa. It has an estimated global extent of occurrence of 390,000 km2.
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
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