Swee Waxbill
Grünastrild ( Estrilda melanotis )
The Grünastrild ( Estrilda melanotis ), also called black cheeks or Angola - black cheeks, is an African species of the family of finches. The Grünastrild is sometimes combined with the Gelbbauchastrild in a way. Also under discussion whether the subspecies Estrilda melanotis bocagei forms a distinct species.
Description
The Grünastrild reaches a body length of nine to ten centimeters, making it one of the smallest finch species. The males are bluish gray on the crown and back of neck. The sides of the head and throat are black. The bolster and sides of the neck are whitish and then go over to the blue-gray of the breast. The lower breast, the belly center, and the under tail-coverts are dull yellowish. The back and wings are olive green and yellowish wash in some individuals. The rump and upper tail-coverts are bright red. The tail is black. The upper mandible is black, the lower mandible pink to red.
The female lacks the black on the head. You have differently from the males have a white throat and white gray gray head sides. You are a total of colored matter, the rump and upper tail-coverts yellowish red work with them. The young birds resemble the female, but are duller and browner colored. The beak is still completely black with them.
Dissemination
Grünastrilde occur in two geographically widely separated populations in Angola and southern Africa. The nominate E. m. melanotis comes from the southern and eastern South Africa prior to Zimbabwe, Lesotho and Mozambique to the south-west. The subspecies E. m. bocagei inhabited the far north of Namibia and the highlands of southern Angola. The habitat of the Grünastrilds are evergreen mountain forests and cloud forests of the Drakensberg. In the lowlands it is found primarily in the coastal vegetation as well as in gardens and overgrown farmland.
Way of life
Grünastrilde live in pairs or in groups of up to fifteen individuals. Unlike other finches they do not socialize with flocks of other species. The diet consists of plant seeds and small arthropods. Of particular importance in the diet have the seeds of Pennisetum setaceum, a species of the genus of Lampenputzer grasses. The breeding season varies somewhat depending on the area of distribution and falls for example, in KwaZulu -Natal in the period from November to April and in the east of the Cape region in the months of November to January. For native to northern Namibia and Angola populations are currently no product knowledge. Grünastrilde build a spherical nest in dense bushes. The nest consists of three to nine, but usually consists of four or five white eggs. It is alternately incubated by both parents birds. The incubation period is 14 days, the nestling period 21 The nestlings are fed by both parents birds. After fledging, the young birds follow the female parent bird and beg them for food.
The brood parasite of Grünastrilds is the Dominican widow.
Attitude
Grünastrilde were first introduced by Carl Hagenbeck in 1869 to Germany. After that, he always came only sporadically and in small numbers in the trade. He still is one of the rarities that rarely come on the market. The species is indeed bred, but apparently the offspring rates are not sufficient to compensate for the losses. Entertainment experiences indicate that Grünastrilde must be housed in a sufficiently large aviaries and become fat very quickly with too little accommodation.