Fawn-breasted Waxbill
Estrilda paludicola
Small, pretty waxbill of lush habitats. Note the red bill, black tail, olive-brown back, and red rump, which is conspicuous in flight. The face and crown show considerable geographical variation, varying from all-gray to all-olive to gray with an olive crown. The underparts can be dull white or yellow. Found primarily at middle elevations in a variety of lush habitats, including grassland, moist scrub, cultivation, woodland, and forest clearings. The call is short, high-pitched, and nasal, often given in flight. Distinguished from Common and Black-rumped Waxbills by the red rump.
Taxonomy
The fawn-breasted waxbill was formally described in 1863 by the German explorer and ornithologist Theodor von Heuglin from a specimen collected on the middle course of the Bahr el Ghazal River in South Sudan. He placed the species in the genus Estrilda (which he spelled as Estrelda) and coined the binomial name Estrilda paludicola. The specific epithet paludicola is Latin meaning "marsh-dweller" (from palus, paludis meaning "swamp" and -cola meaning "dweller").<p>Six subspecies are recognised:<p>The subspecies E. p. ochrogaster has sometimes been considered as a separate species, the Abyssinian waxbill.
- Scientific name
- Estrilda paludicola
- Authority
- Heuglin, 1863
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Estrildidae
- Genus
- Estrilda
Range and habitat
The fawn-breasted waxbill is commonly found in subtropical/tropical (lowland) wet grassland habitats in Angola, Burundi, Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Gabon, Kenya, Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. However, it also inhabits dry forest and dry shrubland habitats. The IUCN has classified the species as being of least concern.
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Great Tit
Parus major
Conspicuous inhabitant of woods, forests, parks, gardens, and hedges in farmland. Often visits bird feeders and uses nest boxes. Plumage is distinctive, with white cheeks surrounded by a black cap and bib. Male has a broader black stripe down belly than the female, and the juvenile (seen in summer–early autumn) has yellowish wash to face and drabber plumage overall. Underparts are bright yellow throughout much of range, but “Turkestan Tit” of Central Asia has a white belly. Appreciably larger and more boldly patterned than Eurasian Blue Tit, which often occurs alongside it. Listen for its distinctive high-pitched up-and-down song: “tsee-dee-tsee-dee-tsee-dee” and chattering scolds.
Spot-breasted Fantail
Rhipidura albogularis
A fantail flycatcher with white throat, spotted breast, and white belly. Upperparts are slaty-brown while wings are grayer and tail darker, with narrow buff tips to all tail feathers except the central pair. It has a white supercilium with a speckled dark-slaty necklace separating the creamy white belly from the throat. Juvenile like adult, but has dull rufous tips to wing coverts. Hybridizes with White-throated Fantail in the northern Eastern Ghats; hybrids show features of both species. Call is as short nasal “cherr.” Song is a melodious 5- to 8-note phrase that variously ascends and descends.
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Streptopelia decaocto
Large pale dove with a black crescent on the nape. Slightly smaller and paler than Rock Pigeon, with a proportionately longer, square-tipped tail. Favors farms and suburbs; avoids areas with extensive forests. Typically seen in pairs or small loose groups; forms larger flocks in winter. Widespread and common throughout much of Eurasia and northern Africa. Introduced to, and established in, much of North America, the Caribbean, and parts of Central America. Compare with African Collared-Dove, which may occur in small feral populations or as an escapee throughout Eurasian Collared-Dove’s range. Especially note tail pattern from below: mostly white, contrasting with the grayish undertail coverts, and with black extending down the outer edge of the tail feathers. Voice - a cooing “woop-WOOO!-woop” - is also helpful.
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