Birds of Central Kenya- Common waxbill

Personally i think this little guy is immensley beautiful. We caught this one on one of those days when you almost give up on finding all things bright and beautiful and then there was this sound from the bush. One may have ignored it as the thousands of songs you hear every day and it may be but the camera had not caught this one yet. So it was quick zoom in and click away from all angles to see what we would catch. And boy did we catch a beauty

 You know us we were going to find out about this one and share the info even if as am informed everyone who loves birds already knows.







INFO
The Common Waxbill is an absolutely beautiful finch. This small bird is typically found in large flocks, sometimes numbering in the thousands. The Common Waxbill feeds on grass seeds, fruit flies, and small worms. Also known as the St. Helena Waxbill.

it has Gray-brown upperparts, lower breast, and belly. Fine barring on back, wings, sides, lower breast, belly, and tail. White cheeks, throat, and upper breast. Rosy-pink patch on belly. Bright red mask surrounds eye. Reddish-orange bill. Black undertail coverts. Black legs and feet. Sexes similar. Immature bird is similar to adult, but is duller, has brown undertail coverts, and sometimes lacks red eye mask. 4 inches in length.

Note: The Black-rumped (Red-eared) Waxbill (Estrilda troglodytes) is often confused with the Common Waxbill due to their similar appearances. Both species have red beaks, a similar overall body coloration, and the red eye stripe. They can be differentiated, however, since the Black-rumped (Red-eared) Waxbill lacks the distinct dark cross-barring on its feathers, has a black rump, an off-white undertail, and has white lining around its tail. They are found mostly in open grassland, farmland, cultivated fields, marshes, and grassy clearings in forests. Native to tropical and southern Africa.

They normally lay 4-5 white eggs. The eggs have a 13 day incubation period. Fledging occurs in 20 days. The nest is a small globe of woven grass. It is built in a stand of grass or a short, dense shrub.

Now that we know about our little birdie its time to find out what more this bush can offer. Central Kenya offers alot that is yet to be explored on any day. Be it hot or cold. Oloi Travels makes it all possible. Feel free to inbox us and ask anything about anything on

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