Cut-throat finch

Cut-throat finch
Male
Female
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Estrildidae
Genus: Amadina
Species: A. fasciata
Binomial name
Amadina fasciata
(Gmelin, 1789)

The cut-throat finch (Amadina fasciata) is a common species of estrildid finch found throughout Africa; it is also known as the bearded finch, the ribbon finch, the cut throat, and the weaver finch.

The cut-throat finch has plumage that is pale, sandy brown with flecks of black all over. They have a black-brown tail, a thick white chin and cheeks, and a chestnut brown patch on the belly. The legs are a pink fleshy colour. The adult male has a bright red band across its throat (thus the name "cut throat"), while the male juveniles have a slightly duller red band.

It has an estimated global extent of occurrence of 3,300,000 km². It is found in Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Portugal (introduced), Rwanda, Senegal, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Reproduction

Cut-throat finches usually use nests constructed by other birds . A clutch usually consists of 4 to 6 white eggs, which hatch after an incubation period of 12 days.[2]

Origin

Origin and phylogeny has been obtained by Antonio Arnaiz-Villena et al..[3] Estrildinae may have originated in India and dispersed thereafter (towards Africa and Pacific Ocean habitats). Its closest relative is the red-headed finch.

References

  1. ↑ BirdLife International (2012). "Amadina fasciata". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
  2. ↑ Mclachlan, G. R.; Liversidge, R. (1978). "821 White-throated Seed-eater". Roberts Birds of South Africa. Illustrated by Lighton, N. C. K.; Newman, K.; Adams, J.; Gronvöld, H (4th ed.). The Trustees of the John Voelcker Bird Book Fund. p. 585.
  3. ↑ Arnaiz-Villena, A; Ruiz-del-Valle V; Gomez-Prieto P; Reguera R; Parga-Lozano C; Serrano-Vela I (2009). "Estrildinae Finches (Aves, Passeriformes) from Africa, South Asia and Australia: a Molecular Phylogeographic Study" (PDF). The Open Ornithology Journal. 2: 29–36. doi:10.2174/1874453200902010029. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-18.
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