Photo by Dionne Miles, text by Faye Knight
Swee Waxbills were the highlight of August on the Birdlife Calendar, and these little finches are more than what they eye can see! This pair was beautifully photographed by Dionne Miles.
- The species is often found by birders by its simple soft, plaintive “swee-swee” and “seeet” calls, the sound of which their name derives from.
- Only standing 9-10cm tall, the Swee Waxbill is a tiny, colourful, seed-eating waxbill with greyish underparts, an olive-green back, and a scarlet rump and upper tail with the male and female only differing slightly in colour.
- The upper mandible of the Swee Waxbill is black, with the lower mandible red, a strong contrast to the male’s black head and the female’s grey head.
- This little finch can be found in South Africa, across Limpopo Province, in the very south-western corner of Mozambique and all along the coastal region of South Africa to the Western Cape Province.
- Often found in groups, the Swee Waxbill prefers to reside in the edges of montane and coastal forests, wooded valleys in fynbos regions, in bushy hillsides grassy woodlands, and in gardens.
- The species is often found by birders by its simple soft, plaintive “swee-swee” and “seeet” calls, the sound of which their name derives from.
- While mainly indulging in seeds from grasses, this finch also supplements their diet with insects caught on the ground and in vegetation.
- Similar to weavers, monogamous pairs work together to construct their oval-shaped grass nest, usually placed high in a tree or other dense vegetation. Breeding from mid-spring to late summer, both the male and female incubate a clutch of up to 9 eggs over a two-week period.
This not so shy, but rather sturdy waxbills are a sight and sound to experience during a birding experience and will definitely add some colour into your sightseeing!
