Black-crowned Waxbill
Nonnenastrild ( Estrilda nonnula )
The Nonnenastrild ( Estrilda nonnula ), also called Weißbrüstiger Kappenastrild or Weißbrüstiges black head, is an African species of the family of finches. There are three main ways for this type: ( Estrilda nonnula nonnula ); ( Estrilda nonnula elizae ); ( Estrilda nonnula eisentrauti ).
Description
Nonnenastrilde reach a body length of 10.5 centimeters. They weigh 6.5 to 9 grams. The males have black bridle, a black area around the eyes and a black skull. The upper back, wing-coverts and secondaries which are light ash-gray. Similar to the Kappenastrild the secondaries are fine quergebändert black. The rump and upper tail-coverts are bright red. The body sides are red, though less extensive as the Kappenastrild. The chin, throat and sides of the head are white. The rest of the underparts is depending on the subspecies white to whitish gray. The eyes are brown. The beak is black with a red stripe on each side of the upper beak and a red patch at the root of the lower mandible.
The females do not differ significantly from the males. The color on the body top is slightly brown-gray. The cross bands is also brown and finer than the male. Young birds still lacks the dark transverse corrugation.
Dissemination and lifestyle
The distribution area of Nonnenastrilds ranges from Benin and Nigeria to the east to the west of Kenya, the Mount Cameroon and the south and inland of Cameroon to Gabon. They also occur in the highland region in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Their range extends from there to Lake Albert from the northwestern shore of Lake Tanganyika and Rwanda to the west shore of Lake Victoria. In Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi to the circulation area overlaps with that of the Schwarzkappenastrilds.
The Nonnenastrild is very adaptable and inhabits a range of very different habitats. It occurs both with trees and bushes streaky savannah, sometimes on bare plateaus in Napier grass and bamboo stocks in weed corridors, at forest edges and grass -covered forest clearings. He has also opened up human settlement areas and occurs in gardens and fields. He arrives at Mount Cameroon until at altitudes of 3,000 meters. In East Africa, its altitudinal distribution is generally lower.
Nonnenastrilde are very social birds and live in flocks after the breeding season. Occasionally they can be found by the thousands in mature cereal boxes. Flying insects they capture in flight. Their diet, however, is dominated by annual grasses and most notably bristle millet. The incubation period varies depending on the area of distribution and generally falls on the end of the rainy season. The nest is well hidden built in small trees, shrubs and hedges. What is in a number of other African finches over the actual nest often a rooster nest. The nest consists of three to six white eggs.
Attitude
Nonnenastrilde were first introduced in 1935 on behalf of the Zoological Society of London to London. In the same year came a few birds of this species to Germany. Since about 1960, they come in smaller numbers in the trade. Only shortly before the change into the 21st century they were introduced in large numbers. Nonnenastrilde have a high light requirement and must be additionally irradiated with an artificial UV source with an attitude in indoor aviaries to prevent baldness of birds.