The Green Avadavat or Green Munia (Amandava formosa) is a species of Estrildid finch

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....

 with green and yellow on the body, a bright red bill and black "zebra stripes" on the flanks. They are endemic to the Indian subcontinent and were formerly popular as cagebirds with the name "avadavat" being a corruption of the name the city of "Ahmedabad" in Gujarat which was a centre of bird trade. They have a restricted distribution and populations are threatened by bird trade.

Description

The Green Avadavat is approximately 10 cm long with a distinctive green-and-yellow avadavat, dark flank bars and reddish bill. Both sexes have pale tips to wing-coverts and tertials. The upper plumage is olive green. The upper tail coverts are more yellow and the tail is black and rounded with broad feathers. The chin is pale yellow and the lower breast, belly and vent are brighter yellow. The flanks are barred with brown and white. The bill is waxy red and the legs are pale fleshy or brown. The female is slightly paler than the male. Young birds are duller with a black bill and lacking the barring on the flanks.

Distribution

This species is found mainly in the dry scrub regions and agricultural lands and is often found close to water. The largest populations are in central and northwestern India. A population of escaped birds once existed near Lahore. The key areas where they are well known are in central 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...

, around southern Rajasthan

Rajasthan

Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...

, central Uttar Pradesh

Uttar Pradesh

Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...

, southern Bihar

Bihar

Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....

 and West Bengal

West Bengal

West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...

 extending south to southern Maharashtra

Maharashtra

Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...

 and northern Andhra Pradesh. There are some records from further south from Wynaad in northern Kerala

Kerala

or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....

 and it is unclear if these are wild populations.

Behaviour and ecology

The breed in central India from October to January but known to breed in July. The nest is made out of broad leaves of grass or sugarcane and is spherical with an entrance on the side. Several nests may be built in the vicinity by pairs that form a loose colony. They forage in small groups especially in the non-breeding season. The clutch is four to six eggs.

Its voice song is high-pitched warble, ending with prolonged trill with weak seee and swee notes not unlike that of Turdoides subrufus.

Conservation

The Green Avadavat has been a popular cage-birds and has been in the bird trade since the late 19th century. It continues to be common in some areas such as Mt. Abu in Rajasthan, but has declined due mainly to trapping. In trade the bird is called as green waxbill or strawberry finch. Entire flocks are easily trapped using baits and decoy birds.