Estrilda melpoda
The Orange-cheeked Waxbill (*Estrilda melpoda*) is a vibrant and diminutive passerine, a jewel among the Estrildidae family, measuring merely 9-10 cm in length and weighing a feather-light 7-10 grams. Its most striking feature, lending it its common name, is the brilliant orange patch adorning each cheek, contrasting with a delicate grey head, pale olive-brown upperparts, and a clean white belly. A bright red bill and crimson rump further enhance its beauty, making it easily identifiable even...
This adaptable species thrives in open country, preferring grasslands, savannas, agricultural areas, and forest edges, often found near water sources. It inhabits low to mid-elevations in tropical and subtropical zones.
Primarily granivorous, their diet consists mainly of small grass seeds, which they deftly pluck from seed heads or forage from the ground. They also supplement their diet with small insects, particularly during the breeding season to provide protein for their young.
Orange-cheeked Waxbills are highly social birds, often observed foraging in small to large flocks, sometimes mixing with other estrildid finches. They are primarily diurnal, spending much of the day gleaning small seeds from the ground or low vegetation, and typically roost communally in dense bu...
The native breeding range of the Orange-cheeked Waxbill spans a broad belt across West and Central Africa, extending from Senegal and Mauritania in the west, eastward through nations like Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Congo...
Least Concern
- The Orange-cheeked Waxbill is a popular species in the avicultural trade due to its striking appearance and relatively placid temperament. - Despite its small size, it is known for rapid, direct, and agile flight, making it difficult for predators to catch. - These waxbills are ingenious nest-b...