Red avadavat

Amandava amandava

The species is native to Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Egypt, India, Indonesian, Burma, Nepal, Pakistan, Thailand and Viet Nam.
There are established populations in the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal), Brunei, fiji, Malaysia, Puerto Rico, Singapore and Hawaii.

The sexes are different. In the adult male plumage is almost entirely red, the Chin, throat, chest, top of the abdomen and flanks are bright Scarlet. The sides of the chest and flanks have spotted with small white dots. The tail is blackish brown, finely fringed in white at the tip of the lower face. The lower part of the abdomen, the anal area and the bottom of the tail are black or blackish brown with shades of Red. The beak is short, red.

common at local level, red bengals are prevalent among the tall grass, Juncos, reedbeds, shrubs and bushes, generally, in areas close to water or wetlands. It is above all a kind of the Plains, but can climb to the 1500 meters in Java and Bali, even up 2400 meters in the small islands of the Sunda.

There are two subspecies:

–Amandava flavidiventris He lives in Burma,in the North of Indochina and the Sunda Islands.

–Amandava punicea He lives in Indochina, Java and Bali and has many more white spots. The Red of their nuptial plumage is more alive than in the nominal species. The two subspecies are somewhat smaller and less present in imports.

Sound of the Red avadavat.

Generally live in pairs or in small groups of up to thirty individuals. In winter, the demonstrations are larger and sometimes birds are grouped into more than a hundred individuals, sometimes with other species such as Capuchin, sparrows or email us. Their bedrooms are usually located in the common cane or cane fields. They are very territorial and vigorously defend the entrances to some of their nests.

In the India, breeding season occurs during the second half of the monsoon season or during the dry season. The nests are found on land or at a low height. They are built with thin strips of grass, stems and other plant materials. The female lays 4-6 white eggs which are incubated during 11 to 12 days for both parents. The young leave the nest after 3 weeks. When leaving the nest, adults are very attentive and communicate with their chicks with sweet notes, especially in the night, When it comes to remind them the location of its nest.

It has a mainly vegetarian diet. This bird feeds on grass and a wide variety of seeds. Also eat rice and millet. Their observation in captivity suggests that Red Bengals also feed in the wild on a small number of insects such as ants and caterpillars..

The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence of any reduction or substantial threats.

Bengals can be kept both in spacious cages and in outdoor or indoor aviaries., although the breeding has a greater chance of success if they are kept in outdoor aviaries. Since it does not like empty spaces, it is best to decorate its habitat with an abundance of plants. . Love the Sun and the heat so the Aviary should be oriented so that you can to maximize the available hours of sunshine. At the same time, it must be sheltered and have a shelter that protects them from cold days during the winter months..
The Bengali gets along very well with the other species with which it can share a habitat. Less tolerant with its own species during the breeding season. ,It is best to keep a single partner in each Aviary.

Sources:

– Oiseaux
– mundoexotics