Orange-cheeked Waxbill

Estrilda melpoda (Vieillot, 1817)

Orange-cheeked Waxbill, Estrilda melpoda, is a bird of western and central Africa, with a breeding range from southern Mauritania, Senegal and Gambia east to southern Chad, the Central African Republic, south-east Sudan and Ethiopia, and also through Gabon, northern Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, western Burundi and northern Zambia. It is a member of the estrildid finches. Its most noticeable feature is the orange cheek patch that gives the bird its name. It is found in open grassland, dry savannah, gardens, cultivated land and other lightly wooded places, including areas along watercourses.

Order

Passeriformes

Family

Estrildidae — Waxbills, Munias & Allies

Breeding range

Africa: s Mauritania, Senegal and Gambia to s Chad, Central African Republic, se Sudan and Ethiopia, Gabon, n Angola, and DR Congo, w Burundi and n Zambia