Java sparrow

Padda oryzivora

Photo by Kim Bridges (Wikipedia)

Common name:
Java sparrow (en); pardal-de-Java (pt); padda de Java (fr); gorrión de Java (es); reisfink (de)


Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Estrildidae

Range:
This species was originaly endemic to the islands of Java, Bali, and probably Madura, in Indonesia. It is a common cage bird and feral populations have been established in many parts of the world.

Size:
These birds are 14-19 cm long and weigh 30-40 g.

Habitat:
In their native range, Java sparrows are found in dry savannas, scrublands and grasslands, as well as in rural gardens, arable land, rice paddies and within urban areas. They are mostly present from sea level up to an altitude of 500 m.

Diet:
They mostly eat the seeds of grasses and other flowering plant, namely rice seeds, but also some insects.

Breeding:
Java sparrows breed in February-August within their native range. The nest is a loosely built structure of dried grass, constructed under the roofs and eaves of buildings in towns and villages, or in scrubs and treetops. The female lays 4-8 white eggs, which are incubated for 12-15 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 2-3 weeks after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - VU (Vulnerable)
This species has a relatively large native range, but the native population is estimated at just 1.500-7.000 individuals. There are larger introduced populations elsewhere, for instance in China or Japan. The native population is declining at a rapid rate, mostly due to the high trapping pressure for the cage bird trade. Historically, it was regarded as a rice crop-pest, and consequently persecuted, while hunting for local consumption still takes place. Other potential threats include the increased use of pesticides and competition with the ecologically similar tree sparrow Passer montanus.

Brown firefinch

Lagonosticta nitidula

(Photo from Bird Forum)

Common name:
brown firefinch (en); peito-de-fogo-castanho (pt); amarante nitidule (fr); pinzón candela castaño (es); braunbürzelamarant (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Estrildidae

Range:
This species is found from D.R. Congo and Tanzania, through Angola and Zambia, and into Botswana and northern Namibia.

Size:
These birds are 10-11 cm long and weigh 10-11 g.

Habitat:
The brown firefinch is found in reedbeds, papyrus, tall grasses and thickets along watercourses, swamps and marshes, occasionally moving into adjacent thorny scrublands and riparian woodlands. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 1.800 m.

Diet:
They forage on bare ground, mainly eating grass seeds, such as jungle rice Echinochloa colonum, teff grass Eragrostis tef, bur bristle grass Setaria verticillata, golden bristle grass Setaria sphacelata and Natal red top Melinis repens. They also eat termites, small ants and mealworms.

Breeding:
Brown firefinches breed in October-April. The nest is a grass ball with a side entrance, lined with feathers and placed low in a scrub or thatch roof of a building. They may also use abandoned nests of weavers and sunbirds. The female lays 3-6 eggs, which are incubated by both sexes for 14-16 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 15-19 days after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status -LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is reported to be locally common. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

Violet-eared waxbill

Uraeginthus granatinus

Photo by Ian White (Flickr)

Common name:
violet-eared waxbill (en); monsenhor (pt); cordonbleu grenadin (fr); granadero común (es); granatastrild (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Estrildidae

Range:
This African species is found from southern Angola, Zambia and Zimbabwe to northern South Africa.

Size:
These birds are 13-15 cm long and weigh 12 g.

Habitat:
The violet-eared waxbill is mostly found in dry scrublands and savanna, especially Acacia, Colosphermum Baikiaea, Baphia and Bauhinia stands. They are also found in pastures and arable land.

Diet:
They usually forage on the ground, or among scrubs and grasses, taking the seeds of various grasses and forbs, fruits and nectar. They also hunt some insects, namely termites, ants and beetles.

Breeding:
Violet-eared waxbills are monogamous, solitary nesters, forming life-long pair bonds. They can breed all year round and the nest is built by both sexes, consisting of a thick-walled, vertical oval-shaped structure made of grass stems and lined with green grass inflorescences and feathers of other birds. The nest is typically concealed in the foliage of a scrub or tree. The female lays 2-7 white eggs, which are incubated by both sexes for 12-13 days. The chicks are fed and brooded by both parents and fledge 16-18 days after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This specie has a very large breeding range and is described as common or fairly common. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

Quailfinch

Ortygospiza atricollis

Photo by Steve Garvie (Wikipedia)

Common name:
quailfinch (en); bico-de-lacre-codorniz (pt); astrild-caille à face noir (fr); pinzón codorniz (es); wachtelastrild (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Estrildidae

Range:
This species is patchily distributed across sub-Saharan Africa, from Mauritania to Ethiopia and south to South Africa.

Size:
These birds are 9-10 cm long and weigh around 11 g.

Habitat:
The quailfinch is found in short, open grasslands, marshes, bogs, agricultural fields and open woodlands, especially near water sources.

Diet:
They forage on the ground, mainly eating grass seeds, but also taking small arthropods, especially termites and spiders.

Breeding:
Quailfinches breed in November-June. The nest is built by both sexes, consisting of a ball-shaped structure made of grass blades, lined with seeding grass inflorescences and feathers. It is typically placed within or on top of a grass tuft, with the entrance often facing a small patch of bare soil. There the female lays 3-6 white eggs, which are incubated by both sexes for 14-15 days. The chicks are brooded and fed by both sexes and fledge 18-20 days after hatching, but only become fully independent about 2-4 weeks later.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is described as common to locally common.
The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

Swee waxbill

Estrilda melanotis

Photo by Derek Keats (Flickr)

Common name:
swee waxbill (en); bico-de-lacre-tropical (pt); astrild à joues noires (fr); estrilda ventrigualda (es); grünastrild (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Estrildidae

Range:
This species is patchily distributed in sub-Saharan Africa, mostly along East Africa, from Ethiopia to South Africa, but also in Angola and D.R. Congo.

Size:
They are 9-10 cm long and weigh 6-7 g.

Habitat:
The swee waxbill is mostly found in dry grasslands and scrublands, along forest edges and in pastures, rural gardens and arable land. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 2.400 m.

Diet:
These birds mainly eat grass seeds, such as catstail grass Sporobolus pyramidalis, Natal redtop Melinis repens and bristle grasses Setaria sp., taken from the ground or directly from plants.

Breeding:
The swee waxbill breeds in December-June. Both sexes build the nest, an oval-shaped structure with a side-top entrance, made of coarse grass and lined with soft grass inflorescences and occasionally moss. The nest is typically placed in scrub or tree 1-5 m above the ground. The female lays 4-5 eggs, which are incubated by both sexes for about 12-14 days. The chicks fed by both parents on a diet of regurgitated seeds and fledge 13-16 days after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a relatively large breeding range and is described as common to locally common. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

Zebra finch

Taeniopygia guttata

Photo by Biswarup Satpati (Trek Nature)

Common name:
zebra finch (en); mandarim (pt); diamant mandarin (fr); pinzón cebra (es); zebrafink (de)


Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Estrildidae


Range:
This species is found throughout Australia, East Timor and southern Indonesia. A common cage bird, it has also been introduced to several other countries, namely Puerto Rico, Brazil, Portugal and the United States.


Size:
These birds are 10-12 cm long and weigh 12 g.


Habitat:
These birds are found in a wide range of habitats, usually near rivers or other water sources. These include dry grasslands and woodlands, saltmarshes, dry savannas, dry scrubland, pastures, agricultural land, rural gardens and urban areas.


Diet:
Zebra finches forage in large flocks, taking fallen or ripening grass seeds and also insects, especially during the breeding season.


Breeding:
They breed in October-April, varying according to rainfall. The female selects the nest site, which may be a small tree, a scrub, a cavity, a termite hill, a rabbit burrow, the nest of other birds or even open ground. She builds the nest, a loose dome made of a wide range of vegetable or even man-made materials collected by the male. There she lays 2-7 white eggs, which are incubated by both sexes for 12-14 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge18-21 days after hatching, but only become fully independent 2-3 weeks later.


Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is described as common or locally abundant. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats, and it may be expanding in range due to the introduction of artificial dams and water tanks in arid areas.

Scaly-breasted munia

Lonchura punctulata

Photo by John Avise (Natural History of Orange County)

Common name:
scaly-brested munia (en); bico-de-chumbo-malhado (pt); capucin damier (fr); capuchino punteado (es); muskatamadine (de)


Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Estrildidae


Range:
This species originates from southern Asia, from India to southern China, Malaysia and Indonesia. They have been introduced to several countries around the world, including Australia, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, Japan, Portugal and the Seychelles.

Size:
These birds are 10-12 cm long and weigh 14 g.

Habitat:
Scaly-breasted munias are mostly found in open habitats, namely moist scrublands, bot dry and wet grasslands, open forests, rice fields, irrigated crops, arable land, rural gardens and urban areas.

Diet:
They mostly eat grass seeds, especially rice, but also small berries, human scraps and even road kill.

Breeding:
These bird can breed all year rounds, varying between different parts of their range. The nest is an untidy globe made of grass and bamboo leaves, with a side entrance. It is lined with soft seeds or feathers and placed inside bushes. The female lays 4-7 white eggs, which are incubated by both parents for 14-18 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 18-19 days after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least concern)
The scaly-breasted munia has a very large breeding range and is described as abundant to locally common. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

Red avadavat

Amandava amandava

Photo by Jayaprakash Siddapura (Flickr)

Common name:
red avadavat (en); bengali-vermelho (pt); bengali rouge (fr); bengalí rojo (es); tigerfink (de)


Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Estrildidae


Range:
These birds originate from southern Asia, being found from central Pakistan, through India and Bangladesh, and into Myanmar, southern China, Vietnam, Cambodja, south-eastern Thailand, Indonesia and East Timor. This species is commonly used in the pet trade and introduced population have been recorded in Italy, Spain, Brunei, Fiji, Portugal, Malaysia, Puerto Rico, Singapore and Hawaii.


Size:
These birds are 9-10 cm long and have a wingspan of 13-14,5 cm. They weigh around 10 g.


Habitat:
These birds are mostly found in marshes and riparian areas, in tall grasses, reedbeds and also in rice fields and sugar cane plantations.


Diet:
Red avadavats mostly feed on grass seeds, but can also eat small insects like termites.


Breeding:
These birds mostly breed in June-January. Both sexes build the nest, a globular structure made of grasses that is placed in a dense scrub. There the female lays 4-7 white eggs which are incubated by both parents for 11-14 days. The chicks fledge 20-21 days after hatching, but only become fully independent 2-3 weeks later.


Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is described as common or locally common. Despite its common use in the international pet trade, the population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.