Estrilda is a genus of estrildid finch in the family Estrildidae.

Estrilda
Black-crowned waxbill (Estrilda nonnula)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Estrildidae
Genus: Estrilda
Swainson, 1827
Type species
Loxia astrild
Common waxbill
Linnaeus, 1758

Most of the genus is found in Africa with one species, the Arabian waxbill, ranging into Asia.

Some species are kept as pets and have been accidentally introduced to various parts of the world.

Taxonomy

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The genus Estrilda was introduced in 1827 by the English naturalist William John Swainson with the common waxbill as the type species.[1] The name of the genus is from astrild, the specific epithet of the common waxbill that was introduced by Carl Linnaeus in 1758.[2]

Species

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The genus contains 11 species:[3]

Image Scientific name Common Name Distribution
  Black-crowned waxbill Estrilda nonnula Nigeria and Cameroon to southeast Sudan, west Kenya and northwest Tanzania
  Black-headed waxbill Estrilda atricapilla Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda
  Kandt's waxbill Estrilda kandti central Africa
  Orange-cheeked waxbill Estrilda melpoda Angola, Benin, Bermuda, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Puerto Rico, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo, and Zambia
Anambra waxbill Estrilda poliopareia southern Nigeria
  Fawn-breasted waxbill Estrilda paludicola Angola, Burundi, Central African Republic, the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Gabon, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia
  Common waxbill Estrilda astrild Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Gabon, Nigeria, Namibia, Angola, South Africa, Botswana, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Malawi, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Mozambique, Cameroon
Black-lored waxbill Estrilda nigriloris Democratic Republic of the Congo
  Black-rumped waxbill Estrilda troglodytes Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Eritrea, Ethiopia, France (introduced by Guadeloupe), Gambia, Ghana, Guadeloupe, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Portugal (introduced), Puerto Rico, Senegal, Sudan, Togo, Uganda
  Crimson-rumped waxbill Estrilda rhodopyga Burundi, The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, South Africa, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda
Arabian waxbill Estrilda rufibarba Yemen and southwestern Saudi Arabia

The genus formerly contained other species with "waxbill" in their common name that are now placed in the genera Coccopygia, Brunhilda and Glaucestrilda.[3]

References

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  1. ^ Swainson, William John (1827). "On several groups and forms in ornithology, not hitherto defined". Zoological Journal. 3: 343–363 [349–350].
  2. ^ Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p. 151. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
  3. ^ a b Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (January 2023). "Waxbills, parrotfinches, munias, whydahs, Olive Warbler, accentors, pipits". IOC World Bird List Version 13.1. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 10 February 2023.