Red Cheeked Cordon Bleu - African Waxbill

Scientific Name: Uraeginthus bengalus

Hen

Cock

Size: 4 “   Song: Male and female sing a nice melody

Cock:  Dark olive green back and chest, red face mask and beak, under parts olive yellow, small white dots from chin to chest and sides. Stars get their name from their spangled white dots which resemble stars in the sky. Tail dark tapered medium long. Male sings.

Hen: Dark olive green back and chest, red face mask and beak, under parts olive yellow, small white dots from chin to chest and sides. Tail dark tapered medium long. Very similar to the male but has less size on the red face mask. Female does not have a song.

Diet: Finch seed mix, greens, vegetables, fruit, soak seed and sprouts, spray millet, hard boiled egg,  high protein softfood supplements.  Free choice grit and cuttlebone. Live insects (small mealworms, crickets, wax worms) are enjoyed as a treat. Feed live insects and a good quality rearing softfood and boiled egg during chick rearing.

Breeding: Prefer enclosed wicker nest or nest boxes.

Building materials: Dried grasses, coconut fiber, sisal,

nest lined with feathers, sharpi cotton.

Eggs: 4 - 6 small white.  Incubate: 14 days.

Fledge: 18 days. Fledglings are a dull brownish gray  with dark beaks.