Family tree:
Until recently, the Swee waxbill has been placed in the Estrilda genus with the true waxbills as it is very similar to the other members of this genus in behaviour, social structure, etc. It has recently been placed in its own genus, namely Coccopygia. There are three species currently recognised in this genus, they are the Swee waxbill, also known as Dufresne’s waxbill (Coccopygia melanotis) found in the south-eastern parts of South-Africa. The Angolan Swee waxbill (Coccopygia bocargei) found in Angola in West Africa. And the Yellow-bellied waxbill (Coccopygia quartinia) found in east Africa, with the latter also having two sub-species, the Coccopygia q. killimensis and Coccopygia q. stuartirwini. The Yellow-bellied differs from the Swee in that the cocks do not have the black face. Some taxonomists sometimes treat them all as one species with its various sub-species. I firmly believe them to be three separate species as their range does not overlap and in my opinion that classifies them as separate species, as sub-species gradually change appearances over their continual range, as with the two sub-species of the Yellow-bellied waxbill.
Description:
The birds have an ash-grey crown and nape, extending onto the upper-breast. The face is black, with the throat greyish-white. The bill is two-tone, with the upper mandible black, and the lower mandible waxy-red. They are uniform olive-green on the back, mantle and wings, with an orange touch to the wings. The rump is orange-red, and the black tail is very short. From the lower-breast, through the belly to the under tail-coverts they are pale
Sexing:
Sexing Swee’s is very easy. The cocks have got the face, ears and throat in jet black, which are lacking in the hens.
Distribution and Habitat:
The Swee waxbill is native to Southern-Africa, notably on the south-east coastline, extending inland in the old eastern-Transvaal area. The birds occur in low, moist coastal areas. In the Cape they are found in coastal bush, in other areas they inhabit low undergrowth and dense grass in scrub, woodland and forest edges. They are found at very low altitudes, in stark contrast to its cousin the Yellow-bellied waxbill which is found at very high altitudes yet the two species are so similar (Yellow-belly cocks don’t have the black face as the Swee cocks do) From what I have experienced their habitat is mostly very similar to the habitat of the Red-browed finch of Australia. They are also found around cultivation and large gardens, often feeding in flocks on garden lawn. They occur in pairs or small parties, feeding actively on seeds or flower heads, clambering through the foliage, constantly keeping contact with their soft calls – a soft “swee-swee” which has given the bird its name. They also feed on the ground.
Feeding:
My Swee’s are fed the same basic seed mix as I feed all my birds. They do seem to favour the smaller seeds like red manna. They are also offered a dry seed mix of wild grass-seeds. Whenever seeding grass heads are in season, they are offered to the birds fresh daily and the Swee’s absolutely love them. Alternatively they are fed sprouted seeds on a daily basis mixed with commercial soft-food, grated carrot, broccoli, cucumber and apple. Various supplements are added to the mix, as well as hard-boiled eggs. They are also offered livefood, but this is restricted to the breeding season only.
Housing and Behaviour:
Swee Waxbills are readily available in South-Africa. They are one of the most peaceful species we keep and a firm favourite with most. Though they can be tame and confiding they remain shy, possibly due to dense habitat that they are found in, or perhaps the other way around? A lot of breeders inland have difficulty in keeping the birds alive past the first year. There are a lot of theories as to why this is the case; for the most part it is believed that the higher altitude is to blame. I used to believe that as well, as I had the same problem in the past. So considering its natural shyness which could mean high stress levels in captivity, I set out to try and mimic not so much its habitat, but at least the effects thereof. Since I keep them in smaller, planted flights with maximum one other pair of waxbills, the problem seems to have been overcome. They are kept in small half-open outdoor flights measuring two meters deep, one meter wide and two meters high. A small tree is planted right in the centre of the open-roofed half, thereby shielding the covered part and providing the birds with a lot of privacy. I suspect that firstly, the foliage keeps the flight relatively humid, and secondly, the birds can hide away and therefore do not stress all that much. I always get the idea that if the bird can sit hidden in a bush where it can see you but you can’t really see them, they seem to feel very secure. In the past I have kept them in flocks of around five pairs or more in mixed collections. This is the way most aviculturists will keep them in South-Africa, and it is in these conditions that they do not last, no doubt due to the heightened level of stress due to competition from other birds in the aviary, and often the lack of hiding places. In well planted, very big aviaries one will probably have the same effect and subsequently the same level of success, but the average South-African bird keeper does not keep birds in this manner. Since I have converted to single pairs to an aviary I have had no severe losses. In the future I would like to try them in cabinets as well, as I know of at least one breeder who has been successful in breeding them this way.
Breeding:
The Swee waxbills natural breeding season spans from October through to April, with the peak breeding taking place from November to January. All the nests in my aviaries to date have been built in standard sized wooden nest-boxes using fresh seeding grass-heads. I have observed some form of a nest in the small trees in their enclosures on various occasions, but it always seems to fall apart. With one or two of these nest they have attempted to build a cock’s nest and an entrance tube which is consistent with the estrilda genus? I have also never had them attempt anything in the dried brush provided in my set-up. I suspect that they would prefer the green foliage as an ideal nesting site, but that the small trees I provide are not adequate in providing the right structure for this purpose. I have bred them in a colony of 5 pairs, but better results by far have been achieved with single pairs in smaller flights.
They would typically lay around six eggs and incubation and fledging is similar to that of most other waxbills. My success so far has only been two to three chicks fledging at a time. Copious amounts of milk seed and soaked seed are taken at this stage. They also consume a lot of termites but seem to rely more on the milk-seeds when raising young. Chicks resemble the adult hen once they fledge, albeit a little duller and being a little smaller, having a shorter tail, and with an all-black bill instead of the two-tone one of the adults. Chicks are almost indistinguishable from the adult hen when they have been out of the nest for three to four weeks. At this stage the young cocks will start showing tiny black dots where the black face will be. In every attempt I have had so far, the parents have been very slow going back to a second nesting attempt after the chicks have been weaned. Chicks left in with the breeding pair do not appear to cause problems with subsequent nesting attempts. Swee’s are definitely amongst the more difficult of waxbills to breed. In my opinion the key factors in successfully breeding this species is in providing them with an enclosure that is stress-free and private (planted flights), providing the right food by way of milk-seed, and lastly having a compatible pair. This can be achieved by placing multiple pairs together and spotting who has paired up by choice. Just one noteworthy thing that might be worth mentioning; at finches ’14 Howard Robinson put a lot of emphasis on the importance of running water, especially for forest species if memory serves me right, which drinks primarily from small running streams. I have an automated watering system on all my aviaries that flush out three times a day. One or two of the inlets are leaking constantly, providing a drip in the bowl, so there is constant movement of the water. The very first pair that bred in the smaller aviaries bred in one of these aviaries with the drip. Now perhaps it’s not running water but close enough I guess as surely that must’ve had something to do with it!
Conclusion:
Swee waxbills make a delightful addition to any collection of small finches / waxbills. They will entertain you for hours with their antics, and one can easily be accused of staring when one admires their beauty. But if one is to breed from them, compatibility and isolation are the key factors that come into play. Couple that with the right diet and a sense of security and you will get the greatest reward of all – fledging a nest of young Swee’s! It has been a very challenging species for me to breed, but with persistence in achieving this goal, a boy-hood dream has become a reality!
