Shelley's Crimsonwing

Cryptospiza shelleyi Sharpe, 1902

Estrildidae — Waxbills, Munias & Allies

Shelley’s Crimsonwing, Cryptospiza shelleyi, is a passerine of the Albertine Rift montane forests in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, western Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi. It was described by Sharpe in 1902 and belongs to the Estrildidae. Its breeding range covers these countries. The bird is tied to closed-canopy moist forest, especially valley bottoms near water, and also uses secondary growth, forest edges, clearings and glades with tall herbs or bamboo, as well as the upper forest and moorland zone. It is a rare species with a declining and fluctuating population.

Order: Passeriformes
Family: Estrildidae — Waxbills, Munias & Allies
Breeding range: Africa: e DR Congo, w Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi