Cinderella Waxbill
Glaucestrilda thomensis
Pretty little gray waxbill with a black tail and a red rump which is conspicuous in flight. The male has red and black under the tail, while the female is much paler and grayer below. Both sexes have pink in the bill. Found in arid woodland and savanna, including mopane woodland. Shy and inconspicuous; usually in small flocks. Calls include rising whistles. Very similar to Black-tailed Waxbill, but prefers drier habitat and is paler gray, with pink on the bill.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Glaucestrilda thomensis
- Authority
- (de Sousa, JA, 1888)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Estrildidae
- Genus
- Glaucestrilda
Range and habitat
The Cinderella waxbill is found in subtropical and tropical (lowland), dry shrubland, savannah and forest habitats at altitudes of 200 to 500 m (660 to 1,640 ft). It is observed that the recent development of a hydroelectric plant on the Cunene River at Epupa Falls has caused changes to insect biodiversity which were relied on by the Cinderella waxbill during feeding of its young - thus threatening its food source to be depleted.<p>The waxbill also eats grass seeds, nectar and insects. The Cinderella is diurnal.
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds
Cape Canary
Serinus canicollis
Rather plain seedeater with a gray nape, yellow underparts, and olive-green back. Found in fynbos, woodland, grassland, and gardens. Usually in small flocks. Distinctive call is a short, high-pitched trill, often given in flight. Song is a frantic, warbled jumble of notes. Separated from similarly sized seedeaters by gray nape and lack of facial markings.
Mascarene Paradise-Flycatcher
Terpsiphone bourbonnensis
A pretty and distinctive bird that always lacks the long tail streamers possessed by some paradise-flycatchers. Note the rufous back and tail and the gray underparts. Males and females differ slightly: males have a black cap and a blue eye-ring, whereas females have a dark-gray cap without a distinctive eye-ring. Fairly common on Reunion in all types of humid forest. Rare on Mauritius in remnant rainforest patches. Calls include a tearing “sree-sreeet” and an agitated twittering. The song is a long musical series of “twee” notes.
Blue-chested Hummingbird
Polyerata amabilis
Male has glittering purple-blue throat, green back and crown, paler grayish belly, and dark tail. Female less obvious, with spotted chest; note the pink base to the lower mandible of the bill. She is smaller than most other female hummingbirds that have spotted chests, such as White-necked Jacobin. Usually seen fairly low at forest edge or shrubby second growth. Nearly identical to Charming Hummingbird but no range overlap.
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