Arabian Waxbill
Estrilda rufibarba
Avilumen editorial team ·
The Arabian waxbill is a highly sociable species of estrildid finch native to Yemen and south-western Saudi Arabia. It has an estimated global extent of occurrence of 20,000 – 50,000 km2.
The Arabian waxbill (Estrilda rufibarba) is a highly sociable species of estrildid finch native to Yemen and south-western Saudi Arabia. It has an estimated global extent of occurrence of 20,000 – 50,000 km2.
Habitat
The Arabian waxbill is usually found in wetter land of southern Tihamah foothills and the terraced slopes and wadis of the western escarpments in Yemen. It can also be found along the south coast of Yemen east to Wadi al-Jahr and, in the extensively irrigated intensive agricultural areas of Wadi Hadramawt between Shibam and Tarim, usually with a dense cover of trees and bushes. The altitude of its habitats is approximately 250 to 2,500 m.
This species has become closely associated with regularly irrigated agricultural areas (especially cereal cultivation) due to its accessibility to drinking water. Modern irrigation techniques have increased the crops' yield but they also have destroyed some traditional sites through burning and land-use change, and threatening the species that requires dense waterside vegetation for communal roosting.
Text adapted from Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
Taxonomy
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Estrildidae
- Genus
- Estrilda
- Conservation status
- Least concern
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Care guide
Canary and Finch Care Guide: Diet, Housing and Breeding
How to care for canaries, zebra finches, Gouldian finches and other finches: diet, flight cage setup, health, song and breeding. A guide for bird keepers.
Read the guide →Illustration gallery
6 illustrations of Estrilda rufibarba (Arabian Waxbill) in different styles, true to its real plumage. Shown watermarked; the art pack includes the high-resolution originals, ready to print.
Watercolor 
Vintage plate 
Ink 
Oil 
Realistic 
Colored pencil
Illustrations based on the photograph by (c) Jacky Judas, some rights reserved (CC BY) (CC BY 4.0), from Wikimedia Commons.
Digital editions
HD Digital Art Pack — Arabian Waxbill
Digital download: 6 high-resolution illustrations of the Arabian Waxbill (Estrilda rufibarba), print-ready. This is a digital file; no animal or physical item is included.
AI Avatar — Arabian Waxbill
Generate an avatar fusing your face with the Arabian Waxbill (Estrilda rufibarba). Delivered digitally in 8K, watermark-free. Digital product; no animals are sold or brokered.
Instant download. No live birds are sold.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Estrilda rufibarba (Arabian Waxbill) endangered?
- The IUCN Red List places Estrilda rufibarba, commonly known as the Arabian Waxbill, in the «Least concern» category. «Least concern» means it is not currently threatened.
- What family does Estrilda rufibarba (Arabian Waxbill) belong to?
- Estrilda rufibarba (Arabian Waxbill) belongs to the family Estrildidae, in the order Passeriformes.
- What colour is Estrilda rufibarba (Arabian Waxbill)?
- The plumage of Estrilda rufibarba (Arabian Waxbill) combines these colours: Brown and Grey.
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