Habitat
In both their native and introduced ranges, Common Waxbills occur in grassy areas, including savanna, abandoned agricultural fields, and lawns in towns and cities. They also inhabit swamps and marshes.
Back to topFood
Common Waxbills feed mainly on small seeds—especially from grasses—as well as insects such as ants, termites, and moths. They pluck unripe grass seeds by perching on stems or jumping from the ground to pull down seedheads. They also eat seeds from the ground.
Back to topNesting
Nest Placement
Placed on the ground or low in bushes, up to 3 meters (9 feet) above the ground.
Nest Description
A large hollow ball with a side entrance and sometimes a downspout. Constructed from grass and lined with fine grass, grassheads, and bits of fur.
Nesting Facts
| Egg Description: | White. |
Behavior
Common Waxbills are social birds that are often undisturbed around people. They typically forage in small groups, which can grow to 40 birds during the nonbreeding season, and gather in flocks of up to 300 birds at roost sites. Where Pin-tailed Whydahs occur with Common Waxbills in Africa, the whydahs often lay their eggs in the waxbills' nests.
Back to topConservation
The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists Common Waxbill's conservation status as Least Concern.
Back to topCredits
BirdLife International. 2018. Estrilda astrild. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018: e.T22719574A131995211. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22719574A131995211.en.
Floyd, Ted (2025). Field Guide to the Birds of the United States and Canada. Eighth edition. National Geographic Society, Washington, D.C.
Payne, R. B., A. Bonan, and G. M. Kirwan (2020). Common Waxbill (Estrilda astrild), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.comwax.01
Pratt, H.D., Bruner, P.L. and Berrett, D.G. (1987). A Field Guide to the Birds of Hawaii and the Tropical Pacific. Princeton Univ. Press, Princeton, New Jersey.
Zimmerman, D. A., D. A. Turner and D. J. Pearson. (1996). Birds of Kenya and northern Tanzania. Princeton, NJ: Princeton Univ. Press.