Orange-cheeked Waxbill

Estrilda melpoda (Vieillot, 1817)

≈10 cmLength7.6 gWeight

This small finch climbs up and down grass stems and hangs upside down to eat grass seeds.

Busiest months: September–October · Most records: Puerto Rico, United States, Ghana

Least Concern

How to identify

Male, female and young

The male usually has a brighter orange patch on the belly; the juvenile resembles the adult on fledging but has duller orange on the sides of the head.

Voice

A high, thin “peep” is the best clue to its presence.

Where and when it's recorded

Orange-cheeked Waxbill has been recorded at 248 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 32 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

Huntington Central Park – EastUnited States1,066 records
Laguna Cartagena - West EndPuerto Rico761 records
Hacienda La EsperanzaPuerto Rico714 records

More places

Reserva Natural Laguna CartagenaPuerto Rico452 records
Mile Square Regional Park, Fountain ValleyUnited States399 records
Refugio de Vida Silvestre de BoquerónPuerto Rico391 records
Laguna Cartagena – TowerPuerto Rico344 records
Gramas Lindas, Toa BajaPuerto Rico251 records
26 HDLPuerto Rico226 records
Reserva Natural Punta GuaniquillaPuerto Rico204 records

Countries and regions with the most records

Puerto Rico United States Ghana Gambia Singapore China Cameroon Uganda

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 orange-cheeked waxbill (Estrilda melpoda) is a common species of estrildid finch native to western and central Africa, with an estimated global extent of occurrence of 3,600,000 km2.

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

Questions

How big is the Orange-cheeked Waxbill?

The Orange-cheeked Waxbill is about ≈10 cm long and weighs around 7.6 g.

Where does the Orange-cheeked Waxbill live?

Its breeding range: Africa: southern Mauritania, Senegal and Gambia to southern Chad, Central African Republic, southeastern Sudan and Ethiopia, Gabon, northern Angola, and DR Congo, western Burundi and northern Zambia. It is most often recorded in Puerto Rico, United States and Ghana.

When is the best time to see the Orange-cheeked Waxbill?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in September and October (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the Orange-cheeked Waxbill endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Orange-cheeked Waxbill as Least Concern.

What does the Orange-cheeked Waxbill eat?

Main food: Seeds.

What family is the Orange-cheeked Waxbill in?

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

At a glance

Length: ≈10 cm
Weight: 7.6 g
Habitat: Grassland
Diet: Seeds
Lifestyle: Varied
Migration: Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation: Least Concern

More measurements

Wing: 46 mm
Tail: 46 mm
Bill: 10 mm
Tarsus: 14 mm

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

Range

Africa: southern Mauritania, Senegal and Gambia to southern Chad, Central African Republic, southeastern Sudan and Ethiopia, Gabon, northern Angola, and DR Congo, western Burundi and northern Zambia

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2