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Introduction to the Red Eye-striped Waxbills
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Complied by Richard P. Fulmer (Amateur Waxbill Owner)*
(Special thanks to Dennis Kauffman Sr, Stuart Balfour and Mia Shotwell for their invaluable contribution to this effort.)
Table of Contents
The Red Eye-striped Waxbill, comes in three varieties, all native to Africa:
Their most noticeable feature is the crimson eye
mask. To determine the variety of Red Eye-striped you are examining. Please read: Differentiating the Red Eye-striped Waxbills, by Ian Hinze
( Ian Hinze is an editor and contributing author to the "Finch"
section of BirdTalk Magazine )
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The following link is to a little test to help you identify which of the three
red-eye striped waxbills you are examining. I had Ian Hinze, himself, confirm
the result. ID
THIS BIRD |
The Red-eyed Striped Waxbills are a very energetic birds. They have a very noticeable, nervous tail twitching ( from side to side ).
Their body length is generally 10cm (or 4 inches). There life span is typically 5 years. Buyers/potential breeders should be careful in selection because of the similarity of this species to the St. Helena's waxbill and their potential to cross breed.
Books published in the late 1960's suggest that Red-eared Waxbills are abundant. However, in the United States at least, this is no longer the case. The Red Eye-striped Waxbill is a variety identified by
the National Finch and Softbill Society's FinchSave Program
as a variety targeted for protection.
Because of the similarities in appearance between male and female, it is often difficult to determine a Red Eye-striped Waxbill's sex. The social nature of the birds does not ensure that a preening pair is necessarily a coupled male and female. The male underside is said to be a brighter shade of red, however, difference of this nature may be too subtle to notice. One helpful note, the cock, in the courtship display will carry around a stem, or feather in his mouth, moving his head around in a conspicuous live manner, offering this item to his desired mate. Once the pair has mated, and the female starts producing her eggs, she becomes larger in the breast, and lower abdominal areas. Baldness may appear on some females heads from an aggressive male’s hold on the female. These birds are very social and fraternize with their own species in groups, seldom seen off its exploring, or feeding alone. They are not aggressive to other species in a mixed flight.
In addition to traditional finch seed mixes (including millet), Red Eyed-stripped Waxbills also feed on invertebrates and
live food, such as meal worm, termites, aphids, ant and fly larvae.
Abundant live food is of critical importance during breeding and veteran waxbill lovers reviewing this article, stressed not to wait until the waxbills nest to present
such food. It is recommended that a continuous daily abundant supply (about 25-30 insects per bird per day) for at least a month is a prerequisite to bringing a pair into breeding condition after pair-bonding. This may be going into unwarranted detail, but the demand for live food by even one pair of highly insectivorous birds exceeds by far what most people would assume. During a nesting season, one pair will require several thousand live insects.
In their natural habitat, and larger aviary flights, they feed on ground, or ledges, and upon vegetation. Experts recommend sprouts, lettuce, spinach, broccoli, cabbage and certain herbs. Even common lawn and garden weeds (free from pesticides and fertilizers) are loved by the waxbills. They even can ingest some needed minerals from the soil of plant roots. Always provide a cuttlebone, or calcium additive to supplement the needed calcium for egg production and laying.
Red Eyed-striped Waxbills are known to often nest and breed on or close to the ground, looking for sheltered concealed areas. In the wild, they tend to build nests in the base of bushes. It is recommended to place a proposed nest close to the ground. Waxbills will build their own nest, but will also take easily to a covered canary basket, placed behind greenery or mounted in a small bush. Nesting material can be coconut hair, or fine dried grasses (particularly raffia), feather and tissue paper . Owners are also encouraged to maintain the availability of fresh bathing water daily.
SEE "DIET" (above) for information concerning nesting diet recommendations.
Among the hobbyists raising captive birds, red-eared waxbills are reputed to be difficult to breed. Most waxbills breed better in single pairs, unless the aviary is a large outdoor planted one. Clutches typically consist of three or more eggs, and are tended to by both sexes. The incubation period is approximately 12 days. Once the fledgling emerge, anticipate approximately 2 weeks after fledging before the chicks are fully independent. The chicks should spend at least two and one-half additional weeks with the parents to be certain.
The difficulty in breeding waxbills is not a reluctance to nest, but that they frequently abandon their nests even when conditions are good. Experts emphasis the waxbills need for privacy, especially during breeding. Real or artificial plants can be used to assist in providing privacy to the brooding pair, especially in sheltering the nest During this period, they should not be in a noisy area and their nest must not be disturbed. Attempts to inspect the interior of the nest during breeding will disrupt the breeding process leading to ejection of the eggs and/or young and abandonment of the nest.
Breeding waxbills requires great dedication. Often, abandonment occurs a few days after chicks are hatched. Experienced breeders are prepared with nesting food to hand-raise the chicks should the nest be abandoned. Frequently, the breeder must raise the young, hand-feeding them every two hours (day and night) for 5 or 6 weeks.
THE COMPLIER IS NOT A PROFESSIONAL BIRD BREEDER, NOR A LICENSED VETERINARIAN. THIS INFORMATION IS OFFERED AS A STARTING POINT TO ASSIST NEW OR PROSPECTIVE RED EYE-STRIPPED WAXBILL OWNERS WITH BASIC BACKGROUND INFORMATION.
Stuart Balfour
Hank Bates & Bob Busenbark, INTRODUCTION TO FINCHES AND SOFTBILLS,
T.F.H. Publications, Inc. 1968.
Derek Goodwin, ESTRILDID FINCHES OF THE WORLD, Cornell University Press
1982.
Dennis Kauffman Sr ORT, BA., Mixed Species Hobbyist, Finch-Lover, Sacramento CA
George w. Noreen , YOUR FIRST FINCH, TFH Publications, 1991.
Jeffrey Trollope, THE CARE AND BREEDING OF SEED-EATING BIRDS, Blandford
Press, 1983.
Dr. Mathew M. Vriends, STARTING AN AVIARY, T.F.H. Publications, Inc.
1981.
Copyright 1996-2005 Finchworld, Inc.
