The Cut-throat or Ribbon Finch (Amadina fasciata) is a rather stocky Waxbill with a sturdy bill and possess plumage that is predominantly of different shades of brown with a complex barred and spotted pattern. Superficially it resembles a Mannikin (Lonchura) but shares certain traits with the Pytilias, such as the mouth markings and downy cladding of its nestlings and some aspects of its voice and behavior.

It is a frequently imported species and extremely cheap to buy. The first successful breeding in Britain is believed to have occurred in 1890, but it was first bred in Europe by Vieillot in 1790. Unfortunately, in spite of numerous breedings each year, which underlines its marvellous propensity for domestication, it is not particularly popular and is frequently discarded in favour of more colorful or "challenging" species, which is a real travesty. Females tend to be more delicate than the males but, once acclimatised, it can be quite a long-lived bird reaching ten years or more.

25ºC (77ºF) is the recommended temperature for new arrivals and it is important not to let the temperature drop below 15ºC (60ºF), especially at breeding time as females can be susceptible to egg-binding. Higher temperatures help to alleviate this problem.

There are four different races: A. f. fasciata, from Senegal and The Gambia southeast and east to southern Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, northern Nigeria, northern Cameroon and Chad to central Sudan, northeast Uganda and northwest Kenya; A. f. alexanderi, from southeast Sudan, Ethiopia and Somalia, south through Kenya to central and southern Tanzania; A. f. meridionalis: central and southern Malawi, southern Zambia, Zimbabwe, central and south Mozambique, east Botswana (possibly also to southern Angola and northeast Namibia) to the South African provinces of North-West and Free State; and A. f. contigua, from Zimbabwe (the midlands), southern Mozambique, eastern Swaziland and the South African provinces of Northern, North-West, Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Free State (in the north-west) and northern KwaZulu-Natal.

It is 11-12 cm (4½-4¾ in) in length and the sexes differ. The nominate, A. f. fasciata, has the forehead, crown and nape pale sandy brown or sandy fawn with a slight pinkish tinge and delicate crescentic black bars across each feather. The mantle and back are similar but the pink tinge is more pronounced and the black bars take on roughly the form of inverted ‘Vs’ or may be reduced to small black dots. On the lower rump and upper tail coverts the black bars usually form broad subterminal bars and the ends of the feathers are pale buff to creamy white. The wing coverts are a darker and more greyish brown with black subterminal bars, usually in the inverted V-shape, and broad pinkish fawn tips. The scapulars and inner secondaries are similar but with the black bars usually restricted to the outer webs. The outer secondaries and primaries are dusky greyish brown with narrow pinkish fawn outer edges and tips. The under wing coverts are pinkish fawn. The central tail feathers are brownish black, usually with very small white apical spots which soon wear off. The outer tail feathers are broadly tipped with white and the outer webs of the outermost pair are entirely white.

The upper throat and the front of the face are creamy white. A broad bright but rather dark red band runs across the lower throat and extends up the sides of the face to above the ear opening. It is narrowly bordered at the lower sides, and occasionally right across the lower edge, by black-tipped feathers. Otherwise immediately beneath the red band the upper breast is creamy white, shading to pinkish fawn on the breast. On the lower breast and upper part of the abdominal area there is a patch of dull chestnut, broadly enclosed at the front and sides by conspicuous pale spotted plumage, individual feathers of which have extensive white or very pale tips which are backed and partly enclosed by the blackish V-shaped subterminal markings. The flanks are pinkish fawn, with narrow blackish fringes to the feathers forming a delicate barred or scaly pattern. The lower belly and ventral areas are pale fawn to whitish. The under tail coverts have extensive whitish tips backed by blackish crescentic subterminal bars and greyish bases. The bill is horny grey, pinkish grey, grey and pinkish or bluish grey and is sometimes darker on the culmen. The irides are brown, reddish or light brown. The legs and feet are pale flesh-coloured.

In worn plumage the pink tinge disappears and the bird becomes paler and more sandy. In very worn plumage the partial or complete abrasion of the ends of the pale feathers may make it appear darker.

The female lacks the red on the throat and face and is pale fawn speckled with blackish in these areas. Her underparts are primarily pale fawn, with blackish markings on the sides of the breast and flanks; the blackish markings sometimes extend right across the breast. The juvenile male is almost intermediate in pattern between the male and female but the red band is clearly noticeable though it is paler than in the adult. The tips of its wing coverts and inner secondaries are also paler and more sandy in tone. The juvenile female is like the adult but with paler feather tips as in the juvenile male.

A. f. alexanderi appears darker, duller and greyer. This is due to the black markings on its upperparts being usually broader and the parts of the feathers behind the subterminal black markings being duller and greyer. The black markings on the underparts also tend to be both broader and more extensive, usually being present over the upper breast and making the chestnut patch and surrounding spotted plumage less conspicuous.

A. f. meridionalis is similar to alexanderi but is normally even darker and generally has a proportionately slightly smaller bill.

A. f. contigua differs from meridionalis in having warmer and more reddish-brown upperparts, there is little or no buff on the chin and the breast and flanks are more washed with russet buff. This race is not acknowledged by all authorities, which is understandable when one considers that the races intergrade where their ranges overlap and all show differences due to individual variation and worn plumage.

In the wild the species may be taken for a small ‘sandy speckly’ sparrow-like bird with white tips to its outer tail feathers. However, the broad bright red band running right across the throat, cheeks and ear coverts is diagnostic of the male. It is extremely sociable and the pair-bond is strong so females are unlikely to be seen alone.

It is found below 1500 m in arid country where it inhabits dry acacia savanna, semi-desert or desert country with some trees or bushes and available surface water, mopane woodland, cultivated areas and around villages. It is usually seen in flocks, both large and small, or in pairs, and frequently on bare branches perched high in the treetops. Single birds may be seen during the breeding season while the mate is on the nest. It usually hops on the ground but can also walk or run short distances. It forages for food on the ground, which consists primarily of grass seeds, but termites, and likely other insects, are also taken.

In the courtship display the male, who may or may not hold nesting material in his bill, takes on an upright posture and faces the female, his head taking on a triangular appearance or the feathers on his head are erected more evenly. Most of his body plumage is also erected but to differing degrees, so that the dull chestnut belly patch and its white-tipped surround are made prominent. The male then performs an inverted curtsey, wherein he bobs up and down by alternately stretching and bending his legs. Though the display may start in silence he sings at the female and usually turns his head and the upper part of his body jerkily from side to side through an angle of about 90 degrees as he does so. Copulation may follow the display if the female is willing and solicits the male by crouching down quivers her tail.

Nests are built at the end of the rainy season and in the dry season and are sited in trees, shrubs, bushes and, occasionally, in holes in trees and buildings. Weavers’ and other species’ nests are also utilised and are also used to sleep in. Natural nests are rather untidy roundish structures made out of grass stems and similar materials and lined with feathers. The nest is sometimes constructed with a short funnel entrance. Occasionally the bird nests in colonies.

4-5 eggs are laid and these are incubated by both sexes in turn during the day. During the night the pair roosts together in the nest. Incubation takes 12-13 days and the young fledge at 21-23 days. The parents continue to feed the parents up to about 21 days after fledging.

It has been recorded breeding in the Sudan in January, February, August and September; in Danakil, Ethiopia, in May, November and December; in Turkana, Kenya, in July; in the Kenyan Highlands from May to August; in Malawi from March to May and in West Africa in September and November. Birds in northern Senegal have been recorded breeding in December–March and August. In southern Africa it breeds from December to May in the Northern, North-West, Gauteng and Mpumalanga provinces of South Africa and in all months, but mainly March to April, in Zimbabwe.

The Cut-throat emits contact calls that resemble sparrow-like chirping and there are also wheezier notes. The nest call is not unlike the sound made by a creaking door and a pair may be observed neck-stretching and mandibulating at the nest site, whereupon they utter low monosyllabic notes. A loud and plaintive kee-air is uttered during or in intervals of active flying around by nesting birds and a loud shrieking attack call is given when the nest area is being defended. A buzzing hiss is sometimes given with the defensive display. In general flight thin eee-eee-eee calls are given.

The song has been described as low pitched and ventriloquial, with a humming or buzzing sound, and also as a fruity warble which may be repeated several times without a break. The female’s song consists of low, toneless warbling sounds. The male sings both undirected song and in display and usually the feathers of the bird’s head and underparts are more or less erected and the head is turned from side to side.

Cut-throats are best housed one pair to a spacious cage or a small group to a spacious indoor flight. It is essential that they are not housed with timid finches and waxbills, especially during the breeding season, as these will be at considerable risk of being mercilessly bullied. Birds larger than themselves are not always immune, either.

Opinions differ as to the reliability of the Cut-throat’s breeding success in captivity, some pairs being nervous and abandoning eggs and/or young at the slightest intrusion while others will tolerate nest-inspection and the handling of their offspring. It is far safer to err on the side of caution, particularly with freshly imported stock, and to allow them plenty of privacy and quiet. Once a pair has a proven track record of successful breedings they are less likely to be easily disturbed.

Nest-boxes and baskets are utilised and it is important to provide various types of coarse building materials, such as hay, grass stems and shredded paper, as well as feathers with which to line the inside of the nest. Some pairs require livefood with which to rear their young, such as waxworms, mealworms and spiders, while others need only dry and soaked seed, eggfood and a little greenfood. Livefood, therefore, should be considered essential until proven otherwise.

Copyright 1999 Ian Hinze