Blue Waxbill

The Blue Waxbill, a diminutive and vibrant bird, graces the southern African landscape with its presence. Males boast a striking powder-blue face, breast, rump, and flanks, while their upperparts are a more subdued pale brown. Females, though less vivid, share the blue rump, tail, head, and upper breast, with the remainder of their underparts a gentle buffy brown. These birds are typically 12-13 cm in length, a small size that belies their visual appeal.

Identification Tips

To identify the Blue Waxbill, look for the male's bright blue plumage and the female's paler tones. Their calls, a soft 'seee-seee', can often be heard as they flit through the lower parts of bush and scrub, providing an auditory clue to their presence.

Habitat

The Blue Waxbill is a versatile inhabitant, favoring well-watered and semi-arid savannas. They show a particular preference for areas where umbrella thorns grow and can also be found in natural growth amidst cultivated lands, mopane forests, and forest edges.

Distribution

This species is widespread in southern Africa, from Cabinda and the Congo to Kenya and Tanzania in the east, and southward to northern South Africa. There are reports of the Blue Waxbill being introduced to São Tomé and Zanzibar.

Behaviour

Blue Waxbills are often seen in pairs or family parties, but they can also form larger flocks, sometimes mingling with other estrildid finches. They exhibit a year-round breeding pattern, with egg laying typically peaking in January, following the onset of the rains.

Song & Calls

The Blue Waxbill's call is a distinctive soft 'seee-seee', a sound that can guide birdwatchers to their location as they navigate through vegetation.

Breeding

Both sexes contribute to nest building, creating an oval-shaped structure with a side entrance tunnel, using grass stems and inflorescences, and lining it with feathers. Nests are often situated near wasp nests, although there is no evidence that wasps provide any protection against predators. The Blue Waxbill may also repurpose old nests of other birds, adding their own materials to the structure.

Diet and Feeding

Primarily seed eaters, Blue Waxbills forage for grass seeds directly from inflorescences. Their diet is supplemented by termites and other insects, and occasionally they consume fallen fruits of Boscia albitrunca.

Conservation status

The Blue Waxbill is currently listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, indicating a stable population without significant threats to its survival.