General

Red-cheeked Cordonbleu: Native to Africa. Upperparts are light brown, underparts are buff, face is blue with large red cheeks and narrow white eyering. Flanks, breast, and tail are blue. Bill is reddish. Females are dull and lack the cheek patch. Juveniles have black bills and lack red cheeks. Blue is restricted to the face and throat.

Range and Habitat

Red-cheeked Cordonbleu: Introduced to Hawaii. Native to tropical, sub-Saharan Africa. Found in dry grasslands, cultivated areas, scrub, and savanna habitats.

Breeding and Nesting

Red-cheeked Cordonbleu: Three to six white eggs are laid in a dome-shaped grass nest in a dense shrub 3 to 8 feet above the ground. Incubation is carried out by both parents for 11 to 14 days. Chicks fledge 14 to 20 days after hatching.

Foraging and Feeding

Red-cheeked Cordonbleu: Traveling in small flocks it forages on the ground for a variety of seeds and insects.

Vocalization

Red-cheeked Cordonbleu: It has a piping "tsee-tsee-tsee" call. Song is a high pitched jumble of buzzing and ssqeaky notes, "te tchee-wa-tcheee" or "ssee-deedelee-deedelee-ssee-see."

Similar Species

Red-cheeked Cordonbleu: Not likely to be confused with any other species.