About the Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu
The red-cheeked cordon-bleu or red-cheeked cordonbleu is a small passerine bird in the family Estrildidae. This estrildid finch is a resident breeding bird in drier regions of tropical Sub-Saharan Africa. Red-cheeked cordon-bleu has an estimated global extent of occurrence of 7,700,000 km2.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
ID tip
Like 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. It weighs 9.9 g (0.35 oz) on average, with known extremes in wild populations ranging from 8.9–11 g (0.31–0.39 oz). The adult male has uniformly brown upperparts, pale blue breast, flanks and tail and a yellow belly. There is a red patch on each cheek, but this can rarely appear orange or even yellow. Females are similar but duller, and lack the cheek spot. Immature birds are like the female, but with blue restricted to the face and throat. Voice: Its contact call is a thin, high-pitched piping, often repeated, and variously transcribed as siii siii or tsee tsee. The song is more complex, consisting of 4–6 high-pitched notes, the last of which is longer, lower and more burry. Described as "rhythmic but lazy", it has been transcribed as wit-sit-diddley-diddley-ee-ee.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
What the Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu sounds like
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in United States, Spain, Canada, Puerto Rico, Martinique.
When to see it
Peak activity in November · a resident species across most of its range
Easily confused with
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.
Blue WaxbillUraeginthus angolensisThe blue waxbill has powder-blue face, breast, rump, and flanks with pale brown upperparts.
Learn the Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu for real
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