Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu (Uraeginthus bengalus)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu

Uraeginthus bengalus (Linnaeus, 1766)

12–13 cmLength9.9 gWeight

The red-cheeked cordon-bleu or red-cheeked cordonbleu (Uraeginthus bengalus) is a small passerine bird in the family Estrildidae.

Most records: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda

Least Concern

Where and when it's recorded

Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu has been recorded at 261 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 28 countries and regions.

Records by month Southern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Nairobi NPKenya1,427 records
  2. Lake Nakuru NPKenya1,110 records
  3. Tarangire NPTanzania627 records
More places
  1. Lake Mburo NPUganda551 records
  2. Nguuni Nature SanctuaryKenya461 records
  3. Murchison Falls NP – North sideUganda409 records
  4. Mole NP – Mole Hotel & waterholeGhana403 records
  5. Parc Urbain Bangr-WeoogoBurkina Faso351 records
  6. Amurum Forest ReserveNigeria291 records
  7. Brufut WoodsGambia272 records

Countries and regions with the most records

KenyaTanzaniaUgandaGambiaEthiopiaGhanaRwandaSenegal

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 red-cheeked cordon-bleu or red-cheeked cordonbleu (Uraeginthus bengalus) 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.

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

Questions

How big is the Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu?

The Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu is about 12–13 cm long and weighs around 9.9 g.

Where does the Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu live?

Its breeding range: Africa: western, central, eastern. It is most often recorded in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.

Is the Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu endangered?

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

What does the Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu eat?

Main food: Seeds.

What family is the Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu in?

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

At a glance

Length
12–13 cm
Weight
9.9 g
Habitat
Shrubland
Diet
Seeds
Lifestyle
Active on the ground
Migration
Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation
Least Concern
More measurements
Wing
52 mm
Tail
54 mm
Bill
10 mm
Tarsus
14 mm

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

Range

Africa: western, central, eastern

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 angolensisBlue-capped Cordon-bleuBlue-capped Cordon-bleuUraeginthus cyanocephalusPictorella 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
Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu

Download illustration

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

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