Blue Waxbill ( Uraeginthus angolensis, family: Estrildidae)

 

blue waxbill kruger national park birds The Blue Waxbill (Latin name Uraeginthus angolensis) is described in Roberts Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition. This bird has a unique Roberts number of 844 and you will find a full description of this bird on page 1054 also a picture of the Blue Waxbill on page 1057. The Blue Waxbill belongs to the family of birds classified as Estrildidae. According to the Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology the Blue Waxbill is also known by these other names: Cordon-Bleu, Blue-breasted Cordon-Bleu, Angolan Cordon-Bleu, Blue-breasted Waxbill.

In the previous edition of Roberts (ie 6th edition) the Blue Waxbill was called the

The Blue waxbill can be seen throughout the Park.

The Blue Waxbill is neither Endemic or near Endemic to the Kruger National Park. It is however a common resident

One of the first indicators to take note of when trying to identify a bird is it relative size. For example how big is the bird compared to a well known familiar bird. The Blue Waxbill is a small bird about the size of a house sparrow. Do not take this relative indicator as anything other than a rough easy to remember indicator. It is not a accurate visualization. The height of the Blue Waxbill is about 13 cms and its weight is about 10 gms

Blue Waxbill Kruger ParkThe male and female Blue Waxbill have the same plumage and colours

  • Head is brown.
  • Eye is brown.
  • Bill is black.
  • Throat is brown.
  • Back is brown.
  • Legs are grey.

This bird has normally proportioned leg length.

Main diet items for this bird ...

The Blue Waxbill feeds on the ground mainly and eats seeds and invertebrates.

The Blue Waxbill is monogamous unless its mate dies. In the event of a partner dying Uraeginthus angolensis will seek out a new mate

The nesting habit of Blue Waxbill is to create the nest in branches of a tree or shrub. The bird lays eggs which are white in colour and number between 2 to 7

Habitat and flocking behaviour for this bird ...

The preferred habitats for Blue Waxbill are: woodlands and grasslands and riverine areas. The Blue Waxbill is also at home in wetland and bushveld areas.

You can expect to see Blue Waxbill in flocks, or pairs or as single birds.

Names of this avian species in other languages ...

Xhosa ... Unknown

Zulu ... Unknown

Afrikaans ...Gewone Blousysie

German ... Angola-Schmetterlingsfink

Portuguese ... Peito-celeste

French ... Cordonbleu de l'Angola

Dutch ... Angolees Blauwfazantje

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For in-depth birding information please refer to these authoritative avian references ...

Robert's 7th edition number ... 844

The main reference source for this data was "Roberts - Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition" . Other references were "Newmans Birds of the Kruger Park" by Keith Newman published circa 1980 . Names in foreign languages were obtained from the Percy Fitzpatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town website , www.fitzpatrick.uct.ac.za