# Red Avadavat

Scientific name: Amandava amandava

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

Canonical source: https://birdsofpuertorico.com/bird/250/Red-Avadavat

## Identification

The red avadavat (Amandava amandava), red munia or strawberry finch, is a sparrow-sized bird of the family Estrildidae. It is found in the open fields and grasslands of tropical Asia and is popular as a cage bird due to the colourful plumage of the males in their breeding season. It breeds in the Indian Subcontinent in the monsoon season. The species name of amandava and the common name of avadavat are derived from the city of Ahmedabad in Gujarat, India, from where these birds were exported into the pet trade in former times.


## Threats

The red avadavat (Amandava amandava), red munia or strawberry finch, is a sparrow-sized bird of the family Estrildidae. It is found in the open fields and grasslands of tropical Asia and is popular as a cage bird due to the colourful plumage of the males in their breeding season. It breeds in the Indian Subcontinent in the monsoon season. The species name of amandava and the common name of avadavat are derived from the city of Ahmedabad in Gujarat, India, from where these birds were exported into the pet trade in former times

## Distribution and habitat

The Red Avadavat is native from Pakistan through southeast 
Asia and Indonesia, and has 
been introduced to Puerto Rico, 
Guadeloupe, and Martinique 
in the West Indies (Camacho 
Rodríguez and others 1999, 
Raffaele and others 1998). It was 
probably introduced to Puerto 
Rico via the pet trade and first 
recorded in the wild in 1971 
(Raffaele and Kepler 1992). This 
species mostly inhabits grassy 
borders of wetlands, freshwater 
swamps, and sugarcane fields 
(Raffaele and others 1998). The 
atlas fieldwork found the species in three hexagons or 0.6 percent 
of the 479 total hexagons in the 
vicinity of Salinas (see map). Of 
the three hexagons where this 
species was found, breeding 
met the atlas definition of 
confirmed in 67 percent (two) 
of the hexagons and probable in 
33 percent (one) (see map). Red Avadavat 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

Previously published reports indicate that the Red Avadavat 
seems to breed from June to 
November in the West Indies 
(Raffaele and others 1998). 
However, atlas results show 
that this species breeds during       241Red Avadavat/Chamorro FresaFebruary and May, and breeding activity appears to peak in 
February (see chart). Results 
show that this species breeds 
in the coastal plain of the 
subtropical dry forest life zone 
(100 percent of the hexagons) 
(see table and map).

## Conservation

The global population size of the Red Avadavat has not 
been quantified or assessed, 
but the species is described as 
common or locally common 
(Clement 1999). Due to the lack 
of evidence for any declines or substantial threats, the current 
population trend is suspected 
to be stable. This species is 
currently listed as a species 
of least concern by the IUCN 
(BirdLife International 2016). 
Locally, this species is not 
listed in any of the threatened 
categories of PRDNER and 
USFWS. In Puerto Rico, the Red 
Avadavat has a protected habitat 
in land of 4 percent or 3 km2 of the total area covered by 
the hexagons where evidence 
of breeding was found for this 
species (72 km2).

Photo: https://birdsofpuertorico.com/static/images/webp/in_250_Im0.png.webp

Distribution map: https://birdsofpuertorico.com/static/images/webp/in_250_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.