Waxbills (Estrildidae)
Blue Waxbill (Uraeginthus angolensis) - HBW 15, p. 326
French: Cordonbleu d'Angola
German: Blauastrild
Spanish: Azulito Angoleño
Other common names: Southern Blue Waxbill, Blue-breasted Waxbill, Southern/Blue-cheeked/Blue-breasted/Angola Cordon-bleu
Taxonomy: Fringilla angolensis Linnaeus, 1758, Angola.
Occasionally hybridizes with U. bengalus in S Tanzania (Songea, Mikindani), where a few males have red patch on the ear-coverts. Males with red on ear-coverts occur rarely in S Zambia and N South Africa (in areas remote from U. bengalus) and one record in NW Zambia (near range of latter), but the two species are broadly sympatric in N & C Tanzania and in SE DRCongo (Kasai and Katanga), where little evidence of interbreeding. Proposed race natalensis (described from KwaZulu-Natal, in E South Africa) treated as a synonym of niassensis. Three subspecies recognized.. View all taxonomy...
Occasionally hybridizes with U. bengalus in S Tanzania (Songea, Mikindani), where a few males have red patch on the ear-coverts. Males with red on ear-coverts occur rarely in S Zambia and N South Africa (in areas remote from U. bengalus) and one record in NW Zambia (near range of latter), but the two species are broadly sympatric in N & C Tanzania and in SE DRCongo (Kasai and Katanga), where little evidence of interbreeding. Proposed race natalensis (described from KwaZulu-Natal, in E South Africa) treated as a synonym of niassensis. Three subspecies recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution:
- angolensis ( Linnaeus, 1758) - São Tomé, NW Angola (including Cabinda), SW DRCongo and NW Zambia.
- cyanopleurus Wolters, 1963 - S Angola, W Zambia (W of Kafue National Park), W & NW Zimbabwe, N Namibia, N Botswana and N South Africa (S to North West Province and Free State).
- niassensis Reichenow, 1911 - Tanzania, S & SE DRCongo, Zambia (E of Kafue National Park), Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe (except W) S to NE South Africa (N Limpopo S to KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape) and Swaziland.
- Least Concern Enlarge map
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A male feeding on grass seeds Locality Kruger National Park, South Africa (ssp niassensis)
Dave Jackson 31 December 2001 5 years ago 16 sec 4.6 -
A bird feeding on the ground Locality Warmbaths, Limpopo Province, South Africa (ssp niassensis)
Keith Blomerley 24 October 2004 7 years ago 21 sec 4.4 -
A male feeding on the ground Locality Victoria Falls, Matabeleland North Province, Zimbabwe (ssp cyanopleurus)
Greg Baker 14 September 1999 1 year ago 12 sec 4 -
A male perched in a bush Locality Mkuze Game Reserve, iSimangaliso Wetland Park, KwaZulu Natal Province, South Africa (ssp niassensis)
Francesc Capdevila i Torr... 8 October 2002 9 years ago 14 sec 3.7 -
A male foraging on the ground Locality Mana Pools National Park, Mashonaland West Province, Zimbabwe (ssp niassensis)
Greg Baker 12 September 1999 1 year ago 13 sec 3
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male blue waxbill feeding
Locality Shamvura Camp, Kavango Region, Namibia
lankhorst 21 July 2011 1 year ago 4.2 -
Male bird in undergrowth.
Locality Shamvura Camp, Kavango Region, Namibia
ian wood 2 February 2012 1 year ago 4 -
In a group among thorns
Locality South Luangwa National Park, Zambia
Marco Valentini 31 August 2011 1 year ago 4 -
A male perched on a bush.
Locality Mapungubwe National Park, Limpopo Province, South Africa (ssp niassensis)
Carmelo López 11 December 2010 2 years ago 4 -
Adult female
Locality Kinshasa, Kinshasa Province, Zaire (Democratic Republic of the Congo) (ssp angolensis)
Mlanguy 1 January 2012 1 year ago 3.8 -
A pair: the male is on the right.
Locality Etosha National Park, Kunene Region, Namibia (ssp cyanopleurus)
Ken Havard 13 April 2013 2 weeks ago ADDED LAST MONTH 3.8
- No sound recordings available yet
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