Amandava

Amandava is a genus of the estrildid finches. These birds 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.[1] The name amandava, along with amadavat and amidavad are all corruptions of Ahmedabad, a city in Gujarat, India from where the first few specimens of the red munia Amandava amandava were obtained.[2]

Amandava
Male red avadavat (Amandava amandava)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Estrildidae
Genus: Amandava
Blyth, 1836
Species

A. amandava
A. formosa
A. subflava

Species

The members are:

ImageScientific nameCommon NameDistribution
Red avadavat or red muniaAmandava amandavaBangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan
Green avadavat or green muniaAmandava formosacentral India, around southern Rajasthan, specifically around Oriya village, central Uttar Pradesh, southern Bihar and West Bengal
Orange-breasted waxbill or zebra waxbillAmandava subflavasouth of the Sahara in Africa


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.

References

  1. Newton, A. & H. Gadow. 1896. A dictionary of birds. Black.London. p.11
  • Clement, Harris and Davis, Finches and Sparrows ISBN 0-7136-8017-2
  • Media related to Amandava at Wikimedia Commons
  • Data related to Amandava at Wikispecies
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