Fun African Quailfinch Facts For Kids

Also called the common quailfinch, white-chinned quailfinch, or ground finch, this small species belongs to the Estrildidae family and comes from the Fuscocrissa subspecies. Often found on the ground, they are rarely seen on treetops except when it comes to the breeding season or making their nest.

The population of these birds is mostly found in Namibia, Zambia, Tanzania, Ethiopia, and other parts of eastern and southern Africa. The African quailfinch, Ortygospiza atricollis, is quite common given their Least Concern conservation status and they do not face any threats.

These birds frequent open areas and their habitat is usually made in weeded areas, grasslands, and croplands.

These quailfinches are usually seen in pairs and their staple diet involves feeding on grass seeds that they pick from the ground as well certain insects like spiders, ants, and termites. They freeze up suddenly if scared.

The African male quailfinch is mostly a gray-brown color while the female takes on a more pale color. The breeding season of these shy birds usually begins in the month of November-June and peaks in January-April.

The female finch lays about three to six eggs where both the sexes take turns incubating them for a period of 15 days. In the non-breeding season, they migrate to regions that have just experienced rainfalls and again leave when the ground dries up.

If you'd like to discover more interesting facts about finches, check out our purple finch fun facts for kids and red finch interesting facts that you're sure to love!

African Quailfinch Interesting Facts

What type of animal is an African quailfinch?

The African quailfinch (Ortygospiza atricollis fuscocrissa) species is a bird that belongs to the Estrildidae family and is of the Passeriformes order.

What class of animal does an African quailfinch belong to?

Quite common across parts of South Africa, these small quailfinches belong to the class of Aves.

How many African quailfinches are there in the world?

Although the exact number of the African quailfinch is not known, their populations exist in stable numbers all across the countries of Africa given their Least Concern status by the IUCN.

Where does an African quailfinch live?

This African quail finch species makes its nest and habitat in short grasslands, open forests, marshy areas, and certain farms. It is mostly found in Namibia, Zambia, Tanzania, Ethiopia, and other parts of eastern and southern Africa.

What is an African quailfinch's habitat?

These birds, usually seen in pairs, are mostly found in woodlands with patches of bare ground and they also frequent open areas as well as agricultural fields near water.

Who does an African quailfinch live with?

These birds with an omnivorous diet are quite monogamous and live in pairs with their mate. Only if the mate dies, the bird goes seeking a new mate.

How long does an African quailfinch live?

The exact number of years that this ground feeder is known to live for is unknown. However, as they are finches, they are expected to live for about six to nine years in captivity.

How do they reproduce?

The breeding pattern of these true desert birds is interesting. Known to be monogamous until one mate dies, this finch builds its nest along with its mate!

The egg-laying season begins between November to June, having a high peak between January and April. Once the female lays the eggs, both the male African quailfinch and his mate take turns in the incubation process which is for about 15 days.

The female lays about three to six eggs in the nest. It takes about 18-19 days for the baby finches to leave the nest and about 26 days to completely fend for themselves.

What is their conservation status?

This bird species have been given a Least Concern status by the IUCN. The populations and distributions of this ground finch are very much balanced in their range across parts of Africa.

African Quailfinch Fun Facts

What does the African quailfinch look like?

The African quailfinch or Ortygospiza atricollis species is divided into two categories which are the Eastern quailfinches and the Western quailfinches. The easiest way to distinguish between these two groups of finches is by identifying the white spectacle-like rings around the eyes of the eastern species.

Common in most parts of north and south Africa, these true desert birds are a brownish-gray color.

The wings and tail take on a lighter brown-gray while the brown breast is seen to have whitish barrings. The young finch is a little similar to hens but they can be identified with a darker bill and fainter barring.

How cute are they?

These birds are a sight to behold with their white-ringed eyes. Their puffed up bodies and small, stout head makes them look super cute and fluffy!

How do they communicate?

There is not much information on the communication style of these true desert birds. But like all birds, they do communicate with their vocal abilities and body as well. The African quailfinch call is quite shrill and pitchy, resembling a 'chink-chink' sound.

How big is an African quailfinch?

This finch is about 3.7-3.9 in (9.3-10 cm) in length and is about half the size of a house sparrow.

How fast can an African quailfinch fly?

Since these birds are finches, you'd think that they are a fast-flying species but these birds are only known to dart from tree to tree and fly very short distances.

How much does an African quailfinch weigh?

This species of bird that comes from the Estrildidae family often stays on the ground weighs about 0.3-0.5 oz (8.5-14 g).

What are the male and female names of the species?

There are no specific male and female names for this species of birds. They are often referred to as the white-chinned quailfinch or the common quailfinch. You can also call them by their scientific name which is Ortygospiza atricollis.

What would you call a baby African quailfinch?

The baby of this finch is called a chick. Apart from their normal diet, these birds search for live food to stimulate breeding and to also feed the juveniles. Some types of this live food are waxworms and mealworms.

What do they eat?

Common to the countries of southern Africa, these quailfinches are usually seen eating grass seeds found on the ground. Their diet also involves eating insects like spiders, termites, ants, and worms. Hence, these birds have an omnivorous diet. During the breeding season, they show a preference for live food in order to feed their young.

Are they dangerous?

This small quail finch is not really dangerous but if you pose any threat to their community or nest, they will not hesitate to attack you.

Would they make a good pet?

Resembling a minute quail, these finches can make good pets given their initial shy nature and loud call but still friendly behavior. It is essential to give great care to this bird with live food like waxworms and mealworms outside the breeding season.

Did you know...

This bird, unlike any other finch species, is known to walk with its twig-thin legs instead of a hop.

They also love sunbathing, so if you do consider keeping this bird as a pet make sure to keep a heat lamp near it which also provides it with a shady so that it can move to another side when its body gets hot.

Different types of quailfinch

There are three types of quailfinches that are currently known. They are the black-chinned or red-billed quailfinches, the black-faced quailfinches, and the common quailfinches.

What are other names of the African quailfinch?

Partridge finch, common finch, or ground finch are also other names these birds go by.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these Gouldian finch fun facts and house finch facts for kids.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable African quailfinch coloring pages.

Second image by Steve Garvie from Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland.