Amandava
Encyclopedia
Amandava is a genus of the estrildid finch
es. These bird
s are found in dense grass or scrub in Africa
and South Asia
. They are gregarious seed-eaters with short, red bills. In earlier literature, amadavat and amidavad have been used. The name amandava, along with amadavat and amidavad are all corruptions of Ahmedabad
, a city in Gujurat, India
from where the first few specimens of the Red Munia
Amandava amandava were obtained. The members are:
The two avadavats, which are very closely related, are found in tropical South Asia
, and the waxbill in Africa
. Various members of this genus are sometimes placed in Sporaeginthus.
Estrildid finch
The estrildid finches are small passerine birds of the Old World tropics and Australasia. They can be classified as the family Estrildidae , or as a sub-group within the family Passeridae, which also includes the true sparrows....
es. These bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s are found in dense grass or scrub in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
and South Asia
South Asia
South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...
. They are gregarious seed-eaters with short, red bills. In earlier literature, amadavat and amidavad have been used. The name amandava, along with amadavat and amidavad are all corruptions of Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad also known as Karnavati is the largest city in Gujarat, India. It is the former capital of Gujarat and is also the judicial capital of Gujarat as the Gujarat High Court has its seat in Ahmedabad...
, a city in Gujurat, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
from where the first few specimens of the Red Munia
Red Munia
The Red Munia, Red Avadavat or Strawberry Finch is a sparrow-sized bird of the Munia family. It is found in the open fields and grasslands of tropical Asia and is popular as a cage bird due to the colourful plumage of the males in their breeding season. It breeds in South Asia during the Monsoon...
Amandava amandava were obtained. The members are:
- Red Avadavat or Red Munia, Amandava amandava
- Green AvadavatGreen AvadavatThe Green Avadavat or Green Munia is a species of Estrildid finch with green and yellow on the body, a bright red bill and black "zebra stripes" on the flanks...
or Green Munia, Amandava formosa - Zebra WaxbillZebra WaxbillThe Zebra Waxbill or Orange-breasted Waxbill is a small sparrow-like bird with a reddish iris, orange breast, red bill and dark olive-green plumage. The male has a red rump, dark bars on the whitish flank and a scarlet eyebrow stripe...
or Orange-breasted Waxbill, Amandava subflava
The two avadavats, which are very closely related, are found in tropical South Asia
South Asia
South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...
, and the waxbill in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. Various members of this genus are sometimes placed in Sporaeginthus.