DE: Gelbbauchastrild, NL: Geelbuikastrilde (Abessijntje), FR: Astrild à ventre jaune,
ES: Astrild Swee de Africa, IT: Astrilde dell’Africa oriëntale, PT: Estrilda de barriga amarela,
DK: Grønrygget Astrild, SW: Grönryggad astrild, NO: Gulbukastrild, FI: Oliivivahanokka,
PL: Aastryld siwoglowy, CZ: Astrild ctyrbarvý, HU: Sárgahasú asztrild
Coccopygia quartinia
Coccopygia quartinia quartinia
Coccopygia q. kilimensis
Coccopygia q. stuartirwini (Former scientic name was Estrilda)
Origin: Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan, D. R. Congo (Zaire), Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Length: 8-9 cm
Yellow-bellied Waxbill (male)
Yellow-bellied Waxbill (female)
Food: Grass seeds and small millet seeds are the birds’ staple food. They pick the seeds from the plants or look for ripe seeds fallen to the ground. Furthermore, they eat small insects now and then, the proportion of live food being temporarily larger when they have their young to feed.
Yellow-bellied Waxbills live in pairs or small families. Sometimes they are observed in arger numbers, looking for food together with other small species. They take their food very fast and are constantly on the alert, immediately shooting away to seek cover when they spot trouble.
In captivity, Swee waxbills, like the melanotis species, are difficult to stay alive. There seems to be a lack of some vital nutritional elements.
To show you how small the young are, on the middle picture you see a young 1 day old together with a Purple grenadier 1 day old.
Yellow-bellied Waxbills – Two nests
Yellow-bellied Waxbill young, 1 day old (left)
Yellow-bellied Waxbills – 2 young ones 2 weeks old