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Species
Estrilda astrild (Linnaeus, 1758)
IUCN
NCBI
EOL Text
occurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
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Common waxbills live an average of 4 years in the wild.
Average lifespan
Status: wild: 4 years.
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Rights holder/Author | ©1995-2013, The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors |
Source | http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Estrilda_astrild/ |
United States
Origin: Exotic
Regularity: Regularly occurring
Currently: Present
Confidence: Confident
Type of Residency: Year-round
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Source | http://explorer.natureserve.org/servlet/NatureServe?searchName=Estrilda+astrild |
Finches of the genus Estrida are monogamous, mating with only one partner. Song and display are both important aspects of courtship, and pair formation usually begins with a "curtsy" and song exchange between the two prospective mates. Allopreening occurs frequently between the mates. During the nest building and solicitation period, both males and females may participate in stem displays to their mates – a form of display during which a stem is held in the beak. The male sings an irregular pattern during this a display, while the female remains silent. After pairing off, they separate from the larger flock and breed singly. They may, however, be found in small territories adjacent to other pairs.
Males will also display to other females in the flock (those which are not his mate), but this display does not begin with a curtsy and is a type of “fluffed singing”. During this display the male positions his body to present the female with his red belly patch. He does this by placing one flank toward the female and outstretching his neck, holding his head high. He fluffs up his ventral and flank feathers, twists his tail toward the female, and the sings loudly. Females almost always flee when they receive these displays, being that they are advances from males with whom they are not mated. Males will attempt to mate with females which do not flee from his advances.
Mating System: monogamous
The breeding season for Estrilda astrild takes place in midsummer, except in winter-rainfall areas (such as Southern Africa) where the breeding season is between September and January. The nest is a weaved, spherical mass of grasses with a narrow entrance. Nests are generally on or near the ground, hidden in similar, grassy vegetation. They have a clutch size between 4 and 6 eggs, and may raise several broods a year. The incubation period lasts 11 to 12 days with both sexes working to incubate the eggs. Fledging takes 17 to 21 days and during this time both parents feed and care for the chicks. Common waxbill juveniles reach reproductive maturity between 6 months and 1 year of age.
Breeding interval: Common waxbills may raise several broods a year.
Breeding season: Common waxbills mate in midsummer in most locations, and between January and September for winter-rainfall areas.
Average eggs per season: 4 to 6.
Average time to hatching: 11 to 12 days.
Average fledging age: 17 to 21 days.
Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male): 6 to 12 months.
Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; seasonal breeding ; year-round breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; oviparous
Common waxbills build spherical nests out of dry grasses and keep them hidden in reeds close to the ground. The female does most of the nest-building, but the male assists in decorating it and lining the inside with feathers. Both parents spread animal scat in the nest throughout the nesting period as a way to divert predators. A unique feature to common waxbill nests is the formation of a separate “cock’s nest” located atop the main nest. No one is certain what the purpose of this secondary nest is, but it appears to be a resting place for the parent who is not incubating the nest.
Both male and female common waxbills incubate and feed the helpless, altricial young. The nests of common waxbills are often utilized by brood parasites such as pin-tailed whydahs (Vidua macroura), and the waxbill parents dotingly care for these parasitic young alongside their own.
Parental Investment: altricial ; male parental care ; female parental care ; pre-fertilization (Provisioning, Protecting: Female); pre-hatching/birth (Provisioning: Male, Female, Protecting: Male, Female); pre-weaning/fledging (Provisioning: Male, Female, Protecting: Male, Female); pre-independence (Provisioning: Male, Female, Protecting: Male, Female)
- Burton, M., R. Burton. 2002. The Wildlife Encyclopedia. Tarrtown, New York, USA: Marshall Cavendish Corporation.
- Kunkel, P. 1967. Displays Facilitating Sociability in Waxbills of the Genera Estrilda and Lagonosticta (Fam. Estrildidae). Behaviour, Vol 29 No 2/4: 237-261.
- Schuetz, J. 2004. Common waxbills use carnivore scat to reduce the risk of nest predation. Behavioral Ecology, Vol 16 no 1: 133-137.
- Schuetz, J. 2004. Reduced growth but not survival of chicks with altered gape patterns: implications for the evolution of nestling similarity in a parasitic finch. Animal Behaviour, 70, issue 4: 839-848.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | ©1995-2013, The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors |
Source | http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Estrilda_astrild/ |
Global Range: Native to Africa south of Sahara. Introduced and established in Hawaii (Pearl Harbor and Kahuku area on Oahu; apparently expanding range) and Tahiti. Reported by AOU (1983) as established in Puerto Rico but not mentioned by Raffaele (1983).
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | NatureServe |
Source | http://explorer.natureserve.org/servlet/NatureServe?searchName=Estrilda+astrild |
The following is a representative barcode sequence, the centroid of all available sequences for this species.
There are 3 barcode sequences available from BOLD and GenBank.
Below is a sequence of the barcode region Cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI or COX1) from a member of the species.
See the BOLD taxonomy browser for more complete information about this specimen and other sequences.
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Estrilda astrild is a small grey-brown colored finch, distinguished by its red conical bill and face patch. The bill looks as if it has been dipped in red wax, providing explanation to the origin of their common name, common waxbills. The cheeks, throat, and belly are a whitish-grey color, while the rest of the plumage is finely barred and the underside has a dusting of red. Adult common waxbills have a wingspan between 12 and 14 cm, and length of about 11.5 cm. They weigh approximately 8.9 g. The species has a fairly long, slender tail and rounded wings. Females are paler overall with less red along the belly. The plumage of juveniles is duller than the adults, having little red on the underbelly, and no red on the bill. Nestlings have obvious white gape flanges along the edges of their mouths.
According to Traylor et al., there have been 16 recognized subspecies of Estrilda astrild. However, there is very little information available on these subspecies. Black-lored waxbills (Estrilda nigriloris), was once considered a subspecies of common waxbills, but is now recognized as its own species.
Average mass: 8.9 g.
Average length: 11.5 cm.
Range wingspan: 12 to 14 cm.
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; homoiothermic; bilateral symmetry
Sexual Dimorphism: sexes colored or patterned differently; male more colorful
- Baillie, J., B. Groombridge, World Conservation Monitering Centre, International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. Species Survival Commission, BirdLife International. 1990. 1996 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals. Washington, DC: IUCN.
- Burton, M., R. Burton. 2002. The Wildlife Encyclopedia. Tarrtown, New York, USA: Marshall Cavendish Corporation.
- Cottrell, G., J. Greenway, E. Mayr, R. Paynter, J. Peters, M. Traylor, Harvard University Museum of Comparative Zoology. 1987. Check-list of Birds of the World. Cambridge: Havard University Press.
- Schuetz, J. 2004. Reduced growth but not survival of chicks with altered gape patterns: implications for the evolution of nestling similarity in a parasitic finch. Animal Behaviour, 70, issue 4: 839-848.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | ©1995-2013, The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors |
Source | http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Estrilda_astrild/ |
Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLDS) Stats
Public Records: 3
Specimens with Barcodes: 4
Species With Barcodes: 1
Length: 10 cm
Common waxbills are not a threatened species. They are, instead, presently expanding their range and populations into new regions.
US Migratory Bird Act: no special status
US Federal List: no special status
CITES: no special status
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | ©1995-2013, The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors |
Source | http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Estrilda_astrild/ |