File:Black-cheeked waxbill sitting on branch - DPLA - b6265ab3550f18dd7f39474221cfd476.jpg

35 mm slide; color. Scientific Classification: Kingdom: Animalia; Phylum: Chordata; Class: Aves; Order: Passeriformes; Family: Estrildidae; Genus: Estrilda; Genus species: Estrilda erythronotos. Animal characteristics: Head-Body Length: 120-130 cm; Identification: The male black-cheeked waxbill has a gray head, back, breast, and throat. They have a black barring and a faint pink coloration. The belly, flanks, and rump are a dull scarlet. Its cheeks, throat, tail, flight feathers, and legs are black. The male also has red eyes and a blue-black bill. The female, like most species, has duller colors and paler flanks. The eyes are brown in color; Habitat: Low and dry thorn scrub; Diet: Omnivore: small grass seeds, insects, green vegetation, nectar, fruit; Reproduction: Waxbills build their nests in dense thorn trees. The female lays 3-6 eggs and then helps the male incubate them for 12 days. The chicks fledge 22 days after hatching; Social Structure: During the non-breeding season, waxbills gather in flocks of 8-15 birds; Status: No special status.