Uraeginthus angolensis
Blue Waxbills inhabit savannas, woodlands and gardens with easily accessible water sources. They feed mostly on grass-seeds, and to a lesser extent insects like termites. They are normally seen in pairs or small groups, though larger flocks do occur. At night they prefer roosting in the top of a tall thorn tree. They will also often mix with other kinds of small seed-eaters.
These small birds (8-13g) breed almost throughout the year, with a peak in summer after good rains. Both sexes construct the oval-shaped grass-nest, normally in a thorny tree and near wasp nests. Sometimes they’ll take over disused nests built by other species and adapt it to their requirements. Both parents incubate the clutch of 2-7 eggs, which hatch in less than 2 weeks, and feed the chicks on seeds and insects until they fledge and become independent within 3 – 5 weeks.
The Blue Waxbill occurs commonly from South Africa to Angola in the northwest and Tanzania in the northeast, and is listed as being of least concern by the IUCN. In South Africa it is found from Kwazulu-Natal and the Free State nothwards and is one of the most populous species in these parts, probably numbering in the hundreds of thousands at least. The species is exploited for the pet trade to a limited extent.
DeWetsWild 
Is ek reg as ek dink hulle Afrikaanse naam is blou vink?
Amper, AJ: Blousysie is sy Afrikaanse naam.
Aha! Nou onthou ek… dankie! 😀
I love these little birds!
They are very special!
What a beautiful bird! I love finding out about different wildlife from your blog 🙂
We’re so glad to hear that, thanks Sohini!
What a lovely color. I’ll have to search for a snippet of their song online.
Their call is a rather sweet series of tweets, Dunelight. Have a listen here: http://www.xeno-canto.org/43649
Thank you!
This is one beautiful feathered friend you show here. 🙂
Thanks Judy! They’re a special sight indeed.
My reaction matches those made by the folks who commented ahead of me. The colors of this little bird are striking. Oh my, sad to hear they might be part of the pet store trade…
Seems that’s just how humans are, Jane. As soon as we find something beautiful, we must own it…
Love the colors. Thanks for sharing these; I think I have never seen or heard of this bird. I wish we had them here. Beautiful.
They really are pretty little things, even more so when seen in a flock!
What color! A real standout in the bird world. Nice.
Most certainly – thanks, Ruth!
A stunningly pretty little bird. We don’t get them in Durban unfortunately.
That’s a pity, Kim – they’d make a great addition to any garden! They seem to be much more common just slightly inland: http://sabap2.adu.org.za/species_info.php?spp=839#menu_left
We have Cedar Waxwings, I saved one one year and kept it until I could find a bird sanctuary to take it too. I fed it with a red straw and It became attached to it. It got out one day,flying into the tree’s,but all I had to do was show the straw and he flew back to me. I only had him a few days and was so happy he got a chance to become a wild bird!
What a beautiful story, Teresa!
I somehow turned into the neighbor lady everyone brought their hurt,injured, lost or misplaced critters to! I loved it!
I can really imagine you being up to the task, Teresa!
What a beautiful little bird, but why would it build its nest near a wasp nest?
They’re clever in that way, Lois, as the wasps would serve as a deterrent to any large would-be attackers!
It´s really a beautiful little bird. I like the colors it have. As you say, not just this bird, but most of the small colorful and beautiful bird is used in pet trade. My personal opinion is that no wildlife should be kept in captivity. They who´s already is in captivity can´t be released, they can´t manage them self, so they must stay, Unfortunately. I had a corn snake for many years ago. When i bought it I thought that it can not be wild again, and in that time I worked as a travel mechanic, so I could not have a “usually” pet, and a snake don´t need to eat every week, just it have fresh water.
As you say, John, we have to make a distinction between animals bred in captivity and those caught from the wild. Unfortunately the practice of catching wild animals for the pet trade continues to this day, which threatens their wild populations even more, and that’s not even counting the number that dies before they even reach the stores.
What a beautiful blue!
janet
Thanks Janet. Their tiny size and beautiful blue colour is exactly what is getting them caught in the pet trade, sadly.
What a very pretty bird! I wish I could have a couple of those in my backyard. 🙂
You might just find some at your local pet store, Sylvia!