Amandava subflava
A beautiful little seed-eating bird that is very patchily distributed across Sub-Saharan Africa, the Orange-breasted Waxbill, or Zebra Waxbill, inhabits moist grasslands and reedbeds. In South Africa it is therefore found mainly in the higher rainfall areas of the northern Free State, eastern North West Province, Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and Kwazulu-Natal.
These waxbills take over the disused nests of other birds, converting it to their liking at the onset of the breeding season at the end of summer. The parents incubate the clutch of 3-7 eggs in turns, with the chicks hatching after about two weeks. The chicks grow quickly, fledging before they’re 3 weeks old and becoming independent about a fortnight later.
According to the IUCN the Orange-breasted Waxbill is in no danger of extinction.
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