Bird name:

Red Avadavat

Amandava amandava

Order

PASSERIFORMES

Family

Estrilid Finches (Estrildidae)

Code 4

REAV

Code 6

AMAAMN

ITIS

179606

Breeding Location:

Marshes, Shrubs

Breeding Type:

Monogamous

Breeding Population:

Common but local

Egg Color:

White

Number of Eggs:

4 - 7

Incubation Days:

11 - 14

Egg Incubator:

Both sexes

Nest Material:

Grass and coconut fibers

Migration:

Nonmigratory

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General

Red Avadavat: Bright red during breeding season, wings are brown, and tail is black. White spots cover body. Black lores, white crescent below each eye, red bill. Out of season, male is similar to female, brown upperparts, dark wings, red rump and yellow-buff underparts. Some white spots scattered overall. As female enters breeding season, chest may show some yellow-orange, tail feathers may show more black. Juveniles have a black beak that turns red as they age, gray-brown above, buff-white below. Wings have two pale wingbars.

Range and Habitat

Red Avadavat: Common in marshy areas and fallow fields on Oahu, Kauai, Hawaii, and Maui. A popular caged bird that escaped as early as the 1900's. Prefers marshy areas and fields.

Breeding and Nesting

Red Avadavat: Four to seven white eggs are laid in a spherical nest constructed of grasses; coconut fibers and feathers may be used for lining. Both parents incubates eggs for 11-14 days, chicks fledge at 20 days.

Foraging and Feeding

Red Avadavat: Forages on the ground for grass seeds in open marshy fields or fallow fields.

Vocalization

Red Avadavat: Song is twittering and flute-like. Call is a soft "jeet".

Similar Species

Not likely to be confused with any other species in its range.

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Underparts

Belly, undertail coverts, chest, flanks, and foreneck.

Upperparts

Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.

Chest

Also called the breast area, it is the frontal area on the body containing the breastplate and major flight muscles.

Rump

The area between the uppertail coverts and the back of the bird.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America