| Cut-throat Finch | |
|---|---|
| Male | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Estrildidae |
| Genus: | Amadina |
| Species: | A. fasciata |
| Binomial name | |
| Amadina fasciata (Gmelin, 1789) |
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The Cut-throat Finch Amadina fasciata is a common species of estrildid finch found in Africa and originated in Africa, also known as the Bearded Finch, the Ribbon Finch, the Cut Throat, or the Weaver Finch.
The Cut-throat Finch has plumage which is pale, sandy brown with flecks of black all over. They have a black-brown tail, a thick white chin and cheeks, and a chestnut brown patch on the belly. The legs are a pink fleshy colour. The adult male has a bright red band across its throat, while the male juveniles have a slightly duller red band.
It has an estimated global extent of occurrence of 3,300,000 km². It is found in Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Portugal (introduced), Rwanda, Senegal, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
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Cut-throat Finches usually use wavers or other birds nests. A clutch usually consists of 4 to 6 white eggs, which hatch after an incubation period of 12 days.[1]
Origin and phylogeny has been obtained by Antonio Arnaiz-Villena et al[2]. Estrildinae may have originated in India and dispersed thereafter (towards Africa and Pacific Ocean habitats).