Waxbills and Allies

Estrildidae, or estrildid finches, is a family of small seed-eating passerine birds of the Old World tropics and Australasia. They comprise species commonly known as munias, mannikins, firefinches, parrotfinches and waxbills. They are gregarious and often colonial seed eaters with short, thick, but pointed bills.

Species in this family

• Red-headed Finch Amadina erythrocephala
• Cut-throat Amadina fasciata
• Red Avadavat Amandava amandava
• Green Avadavat Amandava formosa
• Zebra Waxbill Amandava subflava
• Black-cheeked Waxbill Brunhilda charmosyna
• Black-faced Waxbill Brunhilda erythronotos
• Gouldian Finch Chloebia gouldiae
• Brown Twinspot Clytospiza monteiri
• Angola Waxbill Coccopygia bocagei
• Swee Waxbill Coccopygia melanotis
• Yellow-bellied Waxbill Coccopygia quartinia
• Dusky Crimsonwing Cryptospiza jacksoni
• Red-faced Crimsonwing Cryptospiza reichenovii
• Abyssinian Crimsonwing Cryptospiza salvadorii
• Shelley's Crimsonwing Cryptospiza shelleyi
• Grey-headed Oliveback Delacourella capistrata
• Plum-headed Finch Emblema modestum
• Painted Firetail Emblema pictum
• Star Finch Emblema ruficauda
• Red-eared Parrotfinch Erythrura coloria
• Royal Parrotfinch Erythrura cyaneovirens
• Tawny-breasted Parrotfinch Erythrura hyperythra
• Pink-billed Parrotfinch Erythrura kleinschmidti
• Papuan Parrotfinch Erythrura papuana
• Fiji Parrotfinch Erythrura pealii
• Pin-tailed Parrotfinch Erythrura prasina
• Red-throated Parrotfinch Erythrura psittacea
• Blue-faced Parrotfinch Erythrura trichroa
• Tricoloured Parrotfinch Erythrura tricolor
• Green-faced Parrotfinch Erythrura viridifacies
• Common Waxbill Estrilda astrild
• Black-headed Waxbill Estrilda atricapilla
• Kandt's Waxbill Estrilda kandti
• Orange-cheeked Waxbill Estrilda melpoda
• Black-crowned Waxbill Estrilda nonnula
• Fawn-breasted Waxbill Estrilda paludicola
• Anambra Waxbill Estrilda poliopareia
• Crimson-rumped Waxbill Estrilda rhodopyga
• Arabian Waxbill Estrilda rufibarba
• Black-rumped Waxbill Estrilda troglodytes
• African Silverbill Euodice cantans
• Indian Silverbill Euodice malabarica
• Dusky Twinspot Euschistospiza cinereovinacea
• Dybowski's Twinspot Euschistospiza dybowskii
• Lavender Waxbill Glaucestrilda caerulescens
• Black-tailed Waxbill Glaucestrilda perreini
• Cinderella Waxbill Glaucestrilda thomensis
• Violet-eared Waxbill Granatina granatina
• Purple Grenadier Granatina ianthinogaster
• Pictorella Munia Heteromunia pectoralis
• Pink-throated Twinspot Hypargos margaritatus
• Red-throated Twinspot Hypargos niveoguttatus
• Black-faced Firefinch Lagonosticta larvata
• Brown Firefinch Lagonosticta nitidula
• Black-bellied Firefinch Lagonosticta rara
• Jameson's Firefinch Lagonosticta rhodopareia
• African Firefinch Lagonosticta rubricata
• Bar-breasted Firefinch Lagonosticta rufopicta
• Rock Firefinch Lagonosticta sanguinodorsalis
• Red-billed Firefinch Lagonosticta senegala
• Chad Firefinch Lagonosticta umbrinodorsalis
• Mali Firefinch Lagonosticta virata
• Madagascar Munia Lepidopygia nana
• Chestnut Munia Lonchura atricapilla
• Grey-headed Munia Lonchura caniceps
• Chestnut-breasted Munia Lonchura castaneothorax
• White-capped Munia Lonchura ferruginosa
• Yellow-rumped Munia Lonchura flaviprymna
• New Ireland Munia Lonchura forbesi
• Dusky Munia Lonchura fuscans
• Grand Munia Lonchura grandis
• Mottled Munia Lonchura hunsteini
• Black-throated Munia Lonchura kelaarti
• White-bellied Munia Lonchura leucogastra
• Javan Munia Lonchura leucogastroides
• White-headed Munia Lonchura maja
• Tricoloured Munia Lonchura malacca
• Bismarck Munia Lonchura melaena
• Black-faced Munia Lonchura molucca
• Snow Mountain Munia Lonchura montana
• Grey-crowned Munia Lonchura nevermanni
• Pale-headed Munia Lonchura pallida
• Scaly-breasted Munia Lonchura punctulata
• Five-coloured Munia Lonchura quinticolor
• Hooded Munia Lonchura spectabilis
• White-rumped Munia Lonchura striata
• Black Munia Lonchura stygia
• Black-breasted Munia Lonchura teerinki
• Grey-banded Munia Lonchura vana
• Green-backed Twinspot Mandingoa nitidula
• White-spotted Munia Mayrimunia leucosticta
• Streak-headed Munia Mayrimunia tristissima
• Crimson Finch Neochmia phaeton
• Red-browed Firetail Neochmia temporalis
• White-collared Oliveback Nesocharis ansorgei
• Shelley's Oliveback Nesocharis shelleyi
• Chestnut-breasted Nigrita Nigrita bicolor
• Grey-headed Nigrita Nigrita canicapillus
• White-breasted Nigrita Nigrita fusconotus
• Pale-fronted Nigrita Nigrita luteifrons
• Mountain Firetail Oreostruthus fuliginosus
• Quailfinch Ortygospiza atricollis
• Timor Sparrow Padda fuscata
• Java Sparrow Padda oryzivora
• Locustfinch Paludipasser locustella
• Jameson's Antpecker Parmoptila jamesoni
• Red-fronted Antpecker Parmoptila rubrifrons
• Woodhouse's Antpecker Parmoptila woodhousei
• Long-tailed Finch Poephila acuticauda
• Black-throated Finch Poephila cincta
• Masked Finch Poephila personata
• Lesser Seedcracker Pyrenestes minor
• Black-bellied Seedcracker Pyrenestes ostrinus
• Crimson Seedcracker Pyrenestes sanguineus
• Orange-winged Pytilia Pytilia afra
• Red-faced Pytilia Pytilia hypogrammica
• Red-billed Pytilia Pytilia lineata
• Green-winged Pytilia Pytilia melba
• Red-winged Pytilia Pytilia phoenicoptera
• Black-and-white Mannikin Spermestes bicolor
• Bronze Mannikin Spermestes cucullata
• Magpie Mannikin Spermestes fringilloides
• Grey-headed Silverbill Spermestes griseicapilla
• Western Bluebill Spermophaga haematina
• Grant's Bluebill Spermophaga poliogenys
• Red-headed Bluebill Spermophaga ruficapilla
• Beautiful Firetail Stagonopleura bella
• Diamond Firetail Stagonopleura guttata
• Red-eared Firetail Stagonopleura oculata
• Double-barred Finch Stizoptera bichenovii
• Zebra Finch Taeniopygia guttata
• Southern Cordonbleu Uraeginthus angolensis
• Red-cheeked Cordonbleu Uraeginthus bengalus
• Blue-capped Cordonbleu Uraeginthus cyanocephalus

Lookalikes compared

• African Firefinch vs Brown Firefinch
• African Silverbill vs Indian Silverbill
• Black-and-white Mannikin vs Swee Waxbill
• Black-crowned Waxbill vs Kandt's Waxbill
• Black-rumped Waxbill vs Crimson-rumped Waxbill
• Black-throated Munia vs Tricoloured Munia
• Bronze Mannikin vs White-collared Oliveback
• Chestnut-breasted Munia vs Gouldian Finch
• Cut-throat vs Violet-eared Waxbill
• Dusky Twinspot vs Brown Twinspot
• Green-winged Pytilia vs Pink-throated Twinspot
• Indian Silverbill vs Common Waxbill
• Jameson's Firefinch vs Brown Firefinch
• Lavender Waxbill vs Black-rumped Waxbill
• Magpie Mannikin vs Swee Waxbill
• Orange-winged Pytilia vs Jameson's Firefinch
• Orange-winged Pytilia vs Red-billed Firefinch
• Pink-throated Twinspot vs African Firefinch
• Red-billed Firefinch vs African Firefinch
• Red-headed Finch vs Orange-winged Pytilia
• Red-headed Finch vs Zebra Waxbill
• Southern Cordonbleu vs Green-winged Pytilia
• White-collared Oliveback vs Green-backed Twinspot
• Zebra Waxbill vs Red-billed Firefinch