natjtan Some photos of my favourite little birds back in September last year! Common waxbills/Estrilda astrild at Zoo Barcelona.
These little ones are so tiny at 8-9g they can balance on a blade of grass. Originally from sub-Saharan Africa they like to stick together as they’ve spread worldwide via the pet trade with most being escapees descendants (some flocks being deliberately released).
While they prefer grassy areas near wetlands they also like mesic habitats like farmlands and parks. Ironically I mostly see these little ones in the zoo’s Saharan exhibit which is where these photos were taken. Always hearing them before seeing them. They’re noisy!
They’re amazing nest builders building an additional nest on top of the main nest. Nobody knows why. It could be a resting place for the parents or a decoy nest as they also put animal poop in their nests while nesting to deter predators. One reason for putting poop in nest could be as they build close to the ground which is more accessible to predators. I’d love to know how they came up with building an additional nest as nesting building’s time consuming. Other birds will brood parasite (add their eggs so the waxbills raise their young) such as pin tailed whydahs. The red bills will then raise them as their own so perhaps the second nest is to rest?!
They get their name from their red bills looking like red letter sealing wax.
They’re always happy to pose, however they never sit still for long!
And cute too!
Thank you for stopping by!
Love all your photos of the Common Waxbill, Natalie. As far as I know, I don’t think we have them in Canada. This was very interesting reading about the second nest.