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Red Cheeked Cordon Bleu |
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Bird Breeds:
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DESCRIPTION
4'/2 to 5 inches (11.5 to 12.5cm). Mousey upperparts and abdomen blended
with sky blue on face, throat, breast, uppertail coverts and sides. Accented
by crimson ear patches and beak with black tip. Tail a duller blue. Eyes
brown, legs yellowish-brown. Female lacks the ear patches, appear on young
males after about 5 months.
NATURAL DISTRIBUTION
Africa, from Senegal to Ethiopia and south from eastern Africa to Zambia.
HABITAT
Open country and cultivated areas.
DIET Live food (ant eggs, aphids and spiders), especially during breeding season. SPECIAL NEEDS
Towards end of summer, best housed in indoor aviary or large cage. Imported
birds must be carefully acclimatized; a warm (77°F/25°C) indoor
and roomy aviary or large cage is essential.
CAGE LIFE
Lively aviary bird. Prefers to breed in garden aviaries with thick plantings
and variety of nest boxes. Builds oven-shaped nests of fine grasses and
feathers, but also accepts half-open nest boxes. Lays 4 to 5 white eggs,
incubation 11 to 13 days by both partners, fledging 17 days. Breeds all
year, but best to allow only two broods, during May and September.
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