Orange Cheek - African Waxbill

Scientific Name: Estrilda melpoda

Hen

Cock

Size: 4 “   Song: Male has short high pitched melody

Cock:  Rusty brown  back, gray sides and chest, orange cheek patch , eye mask, and beak white chin,. Orange Cheeks get their name from their cheek patches. Tail dark tapered  long. Male sings a short high pitched chirpy song.

Hen: Same as the cock. Very hard to sex by site. Some hens will be slightly lighter and slimmer built

Orange Cheeks are very active cheerful finches but their small size and fast flight make them excellent escape artists so watch open doors carefully when cleaning and feeding.

Diet: Finch seed mix, greens, vegetables, fruit, soak seed and sprouts, spray millet, boiled egg, softfood supplements.  Free choice grit and cuttlebone. Live insects (small mealworms, crickets, wax worms) are enjoyed as a treat. Feed a good quality rearing softfood and boiled egg during chick rearing. Live foods should also be offered but may not be feed to the nestlings.

Breeding: Open canary nest, or nest box.

Building materials: Dried grasses, coconut fiber, sisal,

nest lined with feathers, sharpi cotton.

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

Fledge: 14 -16 days. Fledglings are a dull gray for the first few weeks out of the nest. Wean at around 14 days.