Animalia Life

Pyrenestes sanguineus
SUBFAMILY
Estrildinae
TAXONOMY
Pirenestes sanguineus Swainson, 1837.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
French: Pyrйneste gros-bec; German: Karmesinastrild; Spanish: Pinzуn Casca Nueces Rojo.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
5.1–5.5 in (13–14 cm). Sexes differ slightly. Males have a red head, nape, breast, and flanks. Females lack red on the flanks and are duller on the nape and breast. Juveniles lack red except on the rump and tail.
DISTRIBUTION
Southern Cфte d’Ivoire to southern Senegal.
HABITAT
Prefers wet habitats including marsh, flooded rice fields, swamps, and undergrowth near water.
BEHAVIOR
This shy species is found in pairs or small groups. The call is a sharp “zeet,” while the song is described as a melodious warble, sometimes given during flight.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Feeds on or near the ground. Their diet is poorly understood, but, based in part on bill morphology, is presumed to be mostly seeds, especially those with hard coverings.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Three to four white eggs are incubated for 16 days. The few nests described were composed mostly of reeds.
CONSERVATION STATUS
Not threatened.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
In the past, this species could be sporadically found in zoos and aviaries, but it has failed to become established in aviculture.

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