Description:
Rosey Rump Waxbills (Estrilda Rhodopyga) have a dark brown-gray upper body color while the underparts are a light gray-beige color. They have a crimson eye stripe with crimson patches on the flight feathers and upper tail coverts.
The beak and eyes are black while the legs are dark gray. Both sexes look identical and are often confused with Red-Ear waxbills.
Photo and information courtesy of Mandy and Paul – Breeder of Canaries and Other Exotic Birds – Singing Wings Aviary – www.singing-wings-aviary.com (A great source for these beautiful little finches)
Size:
The average size for this species is 4 inches (11cm).
Origin:
The Rosey-Rump Waxbill is found in parts of Kenya, Ethiopia and southern Sudan. It originated in East Africa.
Diet:
A good Rosey-Rump diet is much like that of other waxbills cosisting of a small seed mix such as Finch which includes a mixture of millets and seeding grasses.
This waxbill can be highly insectivorous and will benefit from livefood. Small mealworms, waxworms and fruit fly larva can be mixed in with soft food and offered daily.
Fresh water, cuttlebone and grit should also be supplied at all times. Lettuce, Spinach, Chickweed, spray millet, Eggfood, Brocolli tops and Carrot tops can also be offered on a regular basis.
General Care:
Do not forget to trim your Rosey-Rump Waxbill’s nails on occasion and provide bath water daily!
Compatibility:
This bird is a good specimen for a mixed aviary provided there is plently of room. During the breeding season or when you have Rosy-Rumped males housed together they will become slightly agressive towards the same species during the breeding season.
Housing:
These birds do best in a large planted aviary with mixed species. If you are wanting them to breed you can try seperating them by pairs into large flights.
Some heat will be required durring winter months so these birds are best suited for large indoor aviaries during winter.
In the summer time they will thrive in outdoor aviaries. If they reamin in indoor aviaries year round the best temperature to maintain is 70-80 degrees.
Song:
Rosey-Rump waxbills have no true song but do have certain warning and breeding calls.
Breeding:
This species is considered by some to be harder to breed than the more common Red-Ear and St. Helena Waxbills.
A large planted same species aviary with low bushes and shrubs will help trigger a breeding response. If you use handmad nest a globe shaped nest made of grasses or moss works best.
Rosey-Rumps normally build their nest in low bushes so you can place handmade nest in low concealed spots with in the bush and a few up higher.
The male normally collects the nesting material and can be seen dancing with the material in his beak to his intended mate. After she accepts his offers she will began to construct the nest while he searches for more building materials.
The average clutch consist of 5-6 eggs in which the parents take turns incubating for 12-14 days. The young Rosey-Rump Waxbills emerge from the nest at about 3 weeks old with slightly duller plumage than the parents.
Adult plumage is normally acquired at 2 months of age. In the wild the Pin-Tailed Whydah (Vidua Macroura) will lay eggs and abandon them in the nest of Rosey-Rump, Red Ear and St. Helena waxbills.
