A very easy species to sex visually. Cocks have the entire throat and ears in blood-red (cock left)

The cock is also more warmer brown on the chest than the hen. The species shown is the local sub-species Amadina fasciata meridionales. The chest is prominantly marbled with "scratch-marks" which is vertually absent in the nominate species Amadina fasciata fasciata from the northern part of its range.