Common Waxbill vs Orange-cheeked Waxbill

Estrilda astrild compared with Estrilda melpoda

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Waxbill	Orange-cheeked Waxbill
Kingdom same	Animalia (hewan)	Animalia (hewan)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Aves (burung)	Aves (burung)
Order same	Passeriformes (burung pengicau)	Passeriformes (burung pengicau)
Family same	Estrildidae	Estrildidae
Genus same	Estrilda	Estrilda
Species	Estrilda astrild	Estrilda melpoda

Evolutionary Relationship

Common Waxbill and Orange-cheeked Waxbill share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Estrilda.

Conservation Status

Common Waxbill

LC — Least Concern

Orange-cheeked Waxbill

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Waxbill	Orange-cheeked Waxbill
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common Waxbill

Habitat

Inhabits tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests and tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests spanning the Australasia and Afrotropic realms.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Cabo Verde, Mauritius, Sao Tome and Principe), Asia (Taiwan, United Arab Emirates), Europe (9 countries), North America (Trinidad and Tobago, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Vanuatu), and South America (Brazil, Uruguay).

Orange-cheeked Waxbill

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Japan), Europe (4 countries), and North America (United States).

Common Waxbill

The most widespread waxbill in Africa, common waxbills are native to sub-Saharan Africa but have been introduced across the Iberian Peninsula, Brazil, Hawaii, and several Atlantic islands, becoming one of the world's most widely distributed cage bird escapees. Small, lively finches with red bills and a red stripe through the eye, they inhabit rank grasslands and areas near water. Highly gregarious, often seen in large mixed flocks with other estrildids.

Orange-cheeked Waxbill

A charming small estrildid finch with an unmistakable orange cheek patch set against a grey head, brown back, and pale white underparts, orange-cheeked waxbills are native to the humid forests and forest edges of West and Central Africa. They feed on small grass and weed seeds, often near water. Widely kept as aviary birds, they have established feral populations in parts of Puerto Rico, Europe, and Asia. Active and social, they pair bond strongly.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 5 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇪🇸 Spain 🇬🇧 United Kingdom 🇺🇸 United States