About the Blue Waxbill
The blue waxbill, also called southern blue waxbill, blue-breasted waxbill, southern cordon-bleu, blue-cheeked cordon-bleu, blue-breasted cordon-bleu and Angola cordon-bleu, is a common species of estrildid finch found in Southern Africa. It is also relatively commonly kept as an aviary bird.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
ID tip
The blue waxbill has powder-blue face, breast, rump, and flanks with pale brown upperparts. The female is paler than the male and the blue is confined to the rump, tail, head, and upper breast, with the rest of the underparts being buffy brown. They measure 12–13 cm in length. The call is a soft 'seee-seee', often repeated as bird flits through the lower parts of bush and scrub.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where the Blue Waxbill lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in United States.
When to see the Blue Waxbill
Peak activity in November · a resident species across most of its range
Easily confused with
Red-cheeked Cordon-bleuUraeginthus bengalusLike other members of its genus, the red-cheeked cordon-bleu is a very small finch, measuring only 12.5–13 cm (4.9–5.1 in) in length.
Blue-capped Cordon-bleuUraeginthus cyanocephalusThe blue-capped cordon-bleu or blue-capped cordonbleu is native to Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, and Tanzania in East Africa.
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