Blue-capped Cordon-bleu (Uraeginthus cyanocephalus)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

Blue-capped Cordon-bleu

Uraeginthus cyanocephalus (Richmond, 1897)

9.8 gWeight

The blue-capped cordon-bleu or blue-capped cordonbleu (Uraeginthus cyanocephalus) is native to Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, and Tanzania in East Africa.

Busiest months: February · Most records: Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia

Least Concern

Where and when it's recorded

Blue-capped Cordon-bleu has been recorded at 74 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 8 countries and regions.

Records by month Southern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Tarangire NPTanzania458 records
  2. Ngorongoro Conservation Area – Ndutu Safari LodgeTanzania219 records
  3. Ngorongoro Conservation Area – NdutuTanzania209 records
More places
  1. Speke Bay LodgeTanzania208 records
  2. Serengeti NPTanzania203 records
  3. Lake Manyara NPTanzania181 records
  4. Serengeti NP – Naabi Hill GateTanzania153 records
  5. Serengeti NP – SeroneraTanzania140 records
  6. Ngorongoro Conservation Area – Lake NdutuTanzania131 records
  7. Samburu NRKenya120 records

Countries and regions with the most records

TanzaniaKenyaEthiopiaSingaporeUnited Arab EmiratesUnited StatesUgandaSomalia

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The blue-capped cordon-bleu or blue-capped cordonbleu (Uraeginthus cyanocephalus) is native to Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, and Tanzania in East Africa. This small finch does fairly well in captivity given adequate conditions; however, breeding this finch is said to be quite difficult.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Blue-capped Cordon-bleu?

The Blue-capped Cordon-bleu weighs around 9.8 g.

Where does the Blue-capped Cordon-bleu live?

Its breeding range: Africa: southern South Sudan, southern Ethiopia and southern Somalia to central Tanzania. It is most often recorded in Tanzania, Kenya and Ethiopia.

When is the best time to see the Blue-capped Cordon-bleu?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in February (Southern Hemisphere).

Is the Blue-capped Cordon-bleu endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Blue-capped Cordon-bleu as Least Concern.

What does the Blue-capped Cordon-bleu eat?

Main food: Seeds.

What family is the Blue-capped Cordon-bleu in?

It belongs to the family Waxbills, Munias & Allies (Estrildidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).

At a glance

Weight
9.8 g
Habitat
Desert
Diet
Seeds
Lifestyle
Active on the ground
Migration
Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation
Least Concern
More measurements
Wing
54 mm
Tail
58 mm
Bill
11 mm
Tarsus
14 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Africa: southern South Sudan, southern Ethiopia and southern Somalia to central Tanzania

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Classification

Order
Passerines Passeriformes
Family
Waxbills, Munias & Allies Estrildidae
Genus
Uraeginthus

Other birds in the genus Uraeginthus

Blue WaxbillBlue WaxbillUraeginthus angolensisRed-cheeked Cordon-bleuRed-cheeked Cordon-bleuUraeginthus bengalusPictorella MannikinPictorella MannikinHeteromunia pectoralisMountain FiretailMountain FiretailOreostruthus fuliginosusDiamond FiretailDiamond FiretailStagonopleura guttataRed-eared FiretailRed-eared FiretailStagonopleura oculataBeautiful FiretailBeautiful FiretailStagonopleura bellaCrimson FinchCrimson FinchNeochmia phaetonRed-browed FinchRed-browed FinchNeochmia temporalisPainted FinchPainted FinchEmblema pictum
Blue-capped Cordon-bleu

Download illustration

Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Colin D. Sumrall. ↗

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