BIRD SPECIES

Lavender Waxbill

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Estrilda caerulescens

The Lavender Waxbill is a tiny gray finch with a red tail and rump and a purplish bill.

It measures about 4 inches in length and weighs about 8 - 9 grams. Males are bright silvery-gray all over with a pale throat and chest. Females are similar, but have darker underparts.

CALL: A high, thin “see”, often given in series.

SONG: Consists of two syllables, the first shorter and higher-pitched, the second longer and more melodious.

Feeds on grass seeds, nectar, pollen, berries, fruit and small insects, and particularly appreciates millet.

Found in subtropical/tropical (lowland) dry shrubland habitats.

Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sudan, Togo and the United States (Hawaii island only).

Both sexes participate in building the nest. It is made of plant material and lined with feathers, and in incubation, which lasts for about 2 weeks. Typical clutch size is 4 - 6 eggs.

SOURCES:
https://en.wikipedia.org
https://ebird.org/species
https://birds.fandom.com
https://www.oiseaux.net