# Orange-cheeked Waxbill

Scientific name: Estrilda melpoda

Bird group: [finch](https://birdsofpuertorico.com/family/finch)

Canonical source: https://birdsofpuertorico.com/bird/248/Orange-cheeked-Waxbill

## Identification

The orange-cheeked waxbill (Estrilda melpoda) is a common species of estrildid finch native to western and central Africa, with an estimated global extent of occurrence of 3,600,000 km2.


## Distribution and habitat

The Orange-cheeked Waxbill is native to west Africa and has 
been introduced to Puerto Rico, 
Guadeloupe, and Martinique 
in the Caribbean (Camacho 
Rodríguez and others 1999, 
Raffaele and others 1998). It is a 
common resident in the coastal 
plains of Puerto Rico (Raffaele 
and others 1998), where it was 
introduced before 1874 (Biaggi 
1997), and can be regularly seen 
in the tall grasses and marshy 
edges of the Laguna Cartagena 
National Wildlife Refuge in 
the municipality of Lajas, and 
the Humacao Natural Reserve 
(Oberle 2018). Habitat includes 
mostly brushlands, pasturelands, 
grasslands, marshes (Biaggi 
1997), sugarcane fields and 
borders, seeding grasses at agricultural stations, and road 
edges (Raffaele 1989b, Raffaele 
and others 1998). The atlas 
fieldwork yielded a total of 375 
records within 233 hexagons 
or 49 percent of the 479 total 
hexagons (see map). Of the 233 
hexagons where this species 
was found, breeding met the 
atlas definition of confirmed in 
5 percent (11) of the hexagons, 
probable in 45 percent (106), 
and possible in 50 percent (116) 
(see map). Orange-cheeked Waxbill distribution. The map shows the highest breeding code by hexagon and overlaying the ecological life 
zones in Puerto Rico. Note: percentages may not total 100 due to rounding.

## Breeding

The Orange-cheeked Waxbill appears to breed from June to 
August, according to previously 
published reports (Raffaele and 
others 1998). The nest is made 
of both thick and fine grasses,       239Orange-cheeked Waxbill/Veteranoand is usually built at ground level in the base of grass clumps 
(Biaggi 1997, Raffaele and others 
1998). Atlas results show that 
this species breeds throughout 
the year with the most breeding 
activity from March to July (see 
chart). The breeding activity 
peaks in June, and it mostly 
takes place within the subtropical 
moist forest life zone (see chart). 
Results suggest that this species 
breeds throughout the island but 
mostly within the subtropical 
moist forest life zone (68 percent 
of the hexagons) (see table). It 
also breeds in subtropical wet 
and lower montane wet forest life zones at higher elevations (18 
percent of the hexagons), and 
in the southern region within 
the subtropical dry forest life 
zone as well (14 percent of the 
hexagons) (see table and map).

## Conservation

The global population size of the Orange-cheeked Waxbill has 
not been quantified or assessed, 
but the species is described as 
common or locally common 
to abundant (Clement 1999). 
Due to the lack of evidence 
for any declines or threats, the 
current population trend is 
suspected to be stable, and it is currently listed as a species 
of least concern by the IUCN 
(BirdLife International 2018). 
In Puerto Rico, nests of the 
Orange-cheeked Waxbill have 
been found to be parasitized by 
the nonnative Pin-tailed Whydah 
(Raffaele 1989b). Locally, this 
species is not listed in any of the 
threatened categories of PRDNER 
and USFWS. In Puerto Rico, the 
Orange-cheeked Waxbill has a 
protected habitat in land of 10 
percent or 543 km2 of the total area covered by the hexagons 
where evidence of beeding 
was found for this species 
(5570 km2).

Photo: https://birdsofpuertorico.com/static/images/webp/in_248_Im0.png.webp

Distribution map: https://birdsofpuertorico.com/static/images/webp/in_248_Im1.png.webp

Source note: Text is reproduced from this site's published record. Historical conservation statements and taxonomy have not been independently revalidated. See https://birdsofpuertorico.com/about for source credits and limitations.