They are gregarious and often colonial seed-eaters with short thick but pointed bills. They are all similar in structure and habits, but have a wide variation in plumage colours and pattern.
All the estrildids build large domed nests and lay 5-10 white eggs. Many species build roost nests Some of the fire-finches and pytilias are hosts to the brood parasitic indigobirds and whydahs respectively.
Most are sensitive to cold and require a warm, usually tropical, habitat, although a few have become adapted to the cooler climates of southern Australia.
Species list
Antpeckers , genus Parmoptila
Jameson's Antpecker, Parmoptila rubrifrons
Woodhouse's Antpecker, Parmoptila woodhousei
Negrofinches , genus Nigrita
White-breasted Negrofinch, Nigrita fusconota
Chestnut-breasted Negrofinch, Nigrita bicolor
Pale-fronted Negrofinch, Nigrita luteifrons
Grey-headed Negrofinch, Nigrita canicapilla
Olivebacks , genus Nesocharis
White-collared Oliveback, Nesocharis ansorgei
Fernando Po Oliveback, Nesocharis shelleyi
Grey-headed Oliveback, Nesocharis capistrata
Pytilias , genus Pytilia
Orange-winged Pytilia, Pytilia afra
Red-winged Pytilia, Pytilia phoenicoptera
Green-winged Pytilia, Pytilia melba
Red-faced Pytilia, Pytilia hypogrammica
Green-backed Twinspot, Mandingoa nitidula
Crimson-wings , genus Cryptospiza
Red-faced Crimson-wing, Cryptospiza reichenovii
Abyssinian Crimson-wing, Cryptospiza salvadorii
Dusky Crimson-wing, Cryptospiza jacksoni
Shelley's Crimson-wing, Cryptospiza shelleyi
Seedcrackers , genus Pyrenestes
Crimson Seedcracker, Pyrenestes sanguineus
Black-bellied Seedcracker, Pyrenestes ostrinus
Lesser Seedcracker, Pyrenestes minor
Bluebills , genus Spermophaga
Grant's Bluebill, Spermophaga poliogenys
Western Bluebill, Spermophaga haematina
Red-headed Bluebill, Spermophaga ruficapilla
Twinspots , genera Clytospiza, Hypargos, Euschistospiza
