Blue waxbill

Uraeginthus angolensis

The Blue waxbill (Uraeginthus angolensis) is a bird found in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana and Zambia. Dry bushland and gardens across southern Africa. It eats seeds and nuts and insects and other small invertebrates. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.

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Scientific name	Uraeginthus angolensis
Region	Africa
Found in	South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana and Zambia

🏡 Where the Blue waxbill lives

Dry bushland and gardens across southern Africa.

🍽️ What it eats

🌰 Seeds & nuts70%
🐛 Insects & bugs30%

A rough guide to its diet over a year. Source: EltonTraits (Wilman et al. 2014).

Conservation status

LCNTVUENCREWEX

Least ConcernThere are plenty of these birds.

💡 A tiny finch with a light-blue face and chest.

Hear the Blue waxbill

Recorded by Rory Nefdt (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), xeno-canto XC1027542. Trimmed to a few seconds.

Questions about the Blue waxbill

Where does the Blue waxbill live?

The Blue waxbill lives in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana and Zambia. Dry bushland and gardens across southern Africa.

What does the Blue waxbill eat?

seeds and nuts (about 70%), insects and other small invertebrates (about 30%). These are rough shares of its diet over a year, from the EltonTraits database.

Is the Blue waxbill endangered?

There are plenty of these birds. Its IUCN Red List category is Least Concern.

More birds from Africa

Sources: IUCN Red List (via Wikidata), EltonTraits 1.0 (Wilman et al. 2014), GBIF sightings for countries, Wikipedia. Last updated 2026-10-19.