Red-cheeked cordon-bleu

Thered-cheeked cordon-bleuorred-cheeked cordonbleu(Uraeginthus bengalus) is a smallpasserinebird in the familyEstrildidae. Thisestrildid finchis a resident breeding bird in drier regions of tropicalSub-Saharan Africa. Red-cheeked cordon-bleu has an estimated global extent of occurrence of 7,700,000 km.
In 1760 the French zoologistMathurin Jacques Brissonincluded a description of the red-cheeked cordon-bleu in hisOrnithologiebased on a specimen that he mistakenly believed had been collected inBengal. He used the French nameLe Bengaliand the LatinBengalus.Although Brisson coined Latin names, these do not conform to thebinomial systemand are not recognised by theInternational Commission on Zoological Nomenclature.When in 1766 the Swedish naturalistCarl Linnaeusupdated hisSystema Naturaefor thetwelfth edition, he added 240 species that had been previously described by Brisson.One of these was the red-cheeked cordon-bleu. Linnaeus included a brief description, coined thebinomial nameFringilla bengalusand cited Brisson's work.Thespecific namebengalusis based on the erroneous belief that the species came from Bengal.Thetype locationwas subsequently designated as Senegal.The species is now placed in thegenusUraeginthusthat was introduced by the German ornithologistJean Cabanisin 1851.
The red-cheeked cordon-bleu, theblue-capped cordon-bleu, and theblue waxbillform aspecies groupwithin the genus.  Further, the red-cheeked cordon-bleu may form asuperspecieswith the blue waxbill, with which it shares similar habitats.
There are foursubspecies, which differ primarily in the amount of blue on the face and underparts of the females.
Like other members of its genus, the red-cheeked cordon-bleu is a very small finch, measuring only 12.5–13 cm (4.9–5.1 in) in length.It weighs 9.9 g (0.35 oz) on average, with known extremes in wild populations ranging from 8.9–11 g (0.31–0.39 oz).The adult male has uniformly brown upperparts, pale blue breast, flanks and tail and a yellow belly. There is a red patch on each cheek, but this can rarely appear orange or even yellow.  Females are similar but duller, and lack the cheek spot. Immature birds are like the female, but with blue restricted to the face and throat.
Its contact call is a thin, high-pitched piping, often repeated, and variously transcribed assiii siiiortsee tsee.The song is more complex, consisting of 4–6 high-pitched notes, the last of which is longer, lower and more burry. Described as "rhythmic but lazy",it has been transcribed aswit-sit-diddley-diddley-ee-ee.Unlike many otherpasserines, but like all cordon-bleu species, female red-cheeked cordon-bleus sing; they also help to defend a small area around theirnestsite.  Their song is less complex than that of the males, and they sing less frequently.  Female song peaks primarily before egg-laying, and is thought to help withpair bondmaintenance or breeding synchronization.
The red-cheeked cordon-bleu is common and widespread across much of central and eastern Africa.  Its range stretches from theWest Africancountries ofSenegal,Gambiaand southwesternMauritaniaeast through southernMali, southernNiger, southernChadand southernSudantoEthiopiaand northwestern and southwesternSomalia, and then south to southernDemocratic Republic of the Congo, easternAngola, northern and westernZambia, southernTanzaniaand northernMozambique. It has also been introduced to theHawaiian IslandsofHawaiiandOahu.It has been found one time (in 1924) onCape Verdeand was recorded in theMaadiarea in northernEgyptduring the mid-1960s; the latter birds may have been escaped cage birds, as there have been no records since.It has been photographed in the Los Angeles Area (5/19/20) as well.
It is found in all habitats except forest interiors,at elevations ranging from sea level to 2,430 m (7,970 ft).
It is frequently seen at open drygrasslandandsavannahabitats as well as around human habitation.
The red-cheeked cordon-bleu is agranivore, feeding principally on grassseeds, but also onmilletand other small seeds.It is also known to feed sporadically onbeeswax.Larger granivores, such as thepin-tailed whydahwill chase cordon-bleus from food sources, limiting the feeding opportunities of the smaller birds and affecting their foraging success.
Thenestis a large domedgrassstructure with a side entrance in a tree, bush or thatch into which 4–5 whiteeggsare laid.
The red-cheeked cordon-bleu is reported to be "among the most popular exotic finches".While it has no special housing requirements, its habit of roosting on open branches (rather than in a nest or other protected area) makes it sensitive to low temperatures. During the breeding season, captive males become very aggressive towards each other, and birds disturbed during incubation will typically leave the nest.