To anyone who keeps foreign finches, then the term Estrildid Finch will be familiar because most of the birds in this family are the ones we keep in our aviaries and cages. They tend to be termed foreign finches in the UK to separate them from the ‘British’ finch family that contains birds such as the Greenfinch and the Goldfinch but this isn’t a wholly accurate definition.
In fact, the Estrildid family alone covers the Old World tropical areas down to Australasia. There are part of the suborder Passeri and the Order Passeriformes, the largest group of bird species in the world.
Estrildid basics
In general, the Estrildid finches are small, ranging from the Shelley’s Oliveback at 3.3inches (8.3cm) to the Java Sparrow at 6.7inches (17cm). They all build large, domed nests and lay from 5-10 eggs within while some of them are hosts to brood parasites such as the indigobirds and the whydahs. They are very different in their colours and plumages but are all seedeaters with short and thick pointed bills. Because they are from warmer climates, they often need protecting from the heat when brought to the UK, though some species have been here for so many generations that this need is much reduced.
History
Studies have shown that the Estrildid finches started to evolve in the Middle Miocene Epoch, some 16.5 million years ago. This is around the same time as the Fringillinae (‘British’) finch family began to spread and also at the same time as the Himalayan and Tibetan Plateau collided – this created the southern Asia monsoon climate and also made both the Tibetan Plateau and Chinese Deserts much dryer. The first group to evolve included species such as the African Silverbill in Africa, the Indian Silverbill in Asia and the Diamond Firetail in Australia.
Family tree
This is the basic family tree of the species, showing which of the species are directly related and which are a little further removed. This is important for bird keepers if they want to avoid crossing species, as those closest related can often breed together. Many of these birds are found in aviculture around the world but others have either faded from the hobby or have never been kept in captivity.
- Parmoptila – Antpeckers
- Red fronted antpecker
- Jameson’s antpecker
- Woodhouse’s antpecker
- Nigrita – Nigritas
- White breasted nigrita
- Chestnut breasted nigrita
- Pale fronted nigrita
- Grey headed nigrita
- Nesocharis – Olivebacks
- White collared oliveback
- Shelley’s oliveback
- Grey headed oliveback
- Pytilia – Pytilias
- Orange winged pytilia
- Red winged pytilia
- Red billed pytilia
- Green winged pytilia
- Yellow winged pytilia
- Cryptospiza – Crimsonwings
- Red faced crimsonwing
- Abyssinian crimsonwing
- Dusky crimsonwing
- Shelley’s crimsonwing
- Pyrenestes – Seedcrackers
- Crimson seedcracker
- Black bellied seedcracker
- Lesser seedcracker
- Spermophaga – Bluebills
- Grant’s bluebill
- Western bluebill
- Red headed bluebill
- Mandingoa
- Green backed Twinspot
- Clytospiza
- Brown Twinspot
- Hypargos
- Red throated Twinspot
- Pink throated Twinspot
- Euschistospiza
- Dybowski’s Twinspot
- Dusky Twinspot
-
Red bellied Firefinch Lagonosticta – Firefinches
- Bar breasted Firefinch
- Brown Firefinch
- Red billed Firefinch
- Black bellied Firefinch
- African Firefinch
- Landana Firefinch
- Jameson’s Firefinch
- Mali Firefinch
- Rock Firefinch
- Black-faced Firefinch
- Chad Firefinch
- Uraeginthus – Cordon-bleus
- Blue waxbill
- Red cheeked cordon bleu
- Blue capped cordon bleu
- Purple grenadier
- Violet eared waxbill
- Coccopygia
- Yellow bellied waxbill
- Swee waxbill
- Estrilda
- Lavender waxbill
- Grey waxbill
- Cinderella waxbill
- Fawn breasted waxbill
- Anambra waxbill
- Orange cheeked waxbill
- Arabian waxbill
- Crimson rumped waxbill
- Black rumped waxbill
- Common waxbill
- Black lored waxbill
- Black crowned waxbill
- Black headed waxbill
- Kandt’s waxbill
- Black faced waxbill
- Black cheeked waxbill
-
Orange Breasted Waxbill Amadava – Avadavats
- Red avadavat
- Green avadavat
- Orange breasted waxbill
- Ortygospiza – Quailfinches
- Black chinned quailfinch
- Black faced quailfinch
- African quailfinch
- Paludipasser
- Locust finch
- Emblem
- Painted finch
- Stagonopleua
- Beautiful firetail
- Red eared firetail
- Diamond firetail
- Oreostruthus
- Mountain firetail
- Neochmia
- Red browed finch
- Crimson finch
- Star finch
- Plum headed finch
- Taeniopygia
- Zebra finch
- Double barred finch
- Poephila
- Masked finch
- Long tailed finch
- Black throated finch
- Erythrura – Parrotfinches
- Tawny breasted Parrotfinch
- Pin tailed Parrotfinch
- Green faced Parrotfinch
- Tricoloured Parrotfinch
- Blue faced Parrotfinch
- Red eared Parrotfinch
- Papuan Parrotfinch
- Red throated Parrotfinch
- Fiji Parrotfinch
- Red headed Parrotfinch
- Royal Parrotfinch
- Pink billed Parrotfinch
- Gouldian finch
-
Chestnut Breasted Mannikin Lonchura – Munias, Mannikins and silverbills
- Madagascar mannikin
- African Silverbill
- Indian Silverbill
- Grey headed Silverbill
- Bronze mannikin
- Black and white mannikin
- Red backed mannikin
- Magpie mannikin
- White rumped mannikin
- Javan munia
- Dusky munia
- Black faced munia
- Black throated munia
- Scaly breasted munia
- White bellied munia
- Streak headed munia
- Chestnut munia
- Tricoloured munia
- White capped munia
- Cream bellied munia
- Five coloured munia
- White headed munia
- Pale headed munia
- Great billed mannikin
- Grey banded mannikin
- Grey crowned mannikin
- Hooded mannikin
- Grey headed mannikin
- Hunstein’s mannikin
- New Hanover mannikin
- Yellow rumped mannikin
- Chestnut breasted mannikin
- Black mannikin
- Black breasted mannikin
- Western alpine mannikin
- Eastern alpine mannikin
- Buff bellied mannikin
- Java sparrow
- Timor sparrow
- Heteromunia
- Pictorella mannikin
- Amadina – Cut-throats
- Cut throat finch
- Red headed finch
The Finch Weekly 
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