Lesser Seedcracker

Pyrenestes minor Shelley, 1894

Lesser Seedcracker, Pyrenestes minor, is a bird of eastern Africa, breeding from central Tanzania to eastern Zimbabwe and central Mozambique. It belongs to the estrildid finches and was described by Shelley in 1894. It is a resident species, though it is partly migratory in eastern Zimbabwe. It lives in upland forest, forest edges, Brachystegia woodland, clearings, scrub and dense vegetation, often close to watercourses, at 725 to 1,800 m. It is also found in Malawi. The species is fairly common, and the female resembles the male but with a smaller red area on the head and face.

Order

Passeriformes

Family

Estrildidae — Waxbills, Munias & Allies

Breeding range

Africa: c Tanzania to e Zimbabwe and c Mozambique