Uraeginthus is a genus of small seed-eating birds in the family Estrildidae that are found in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Taxonomy

The genus was introduced by the German ornithologist Jean Cabanis in 1851. The type species was subsequently designated as the red-cheeked cordon-bleu. The name Uraeginthus combines the Ancient Greek words oura "tail" and aiginthos for an unknown bird, perhaps a finch.

Species

It contains the following three species:

Genus Uraeginthus – Cabanis, 1851 – three species
Common nameScientific name and subspeciesRangeSize and ecologyIUCN status and estimated population
Blue waxbill Male FemaleUraeginthus angolensis (Linnaeus, 1758) Three subspecies U. a. angolensis (Linnaeus, 1758)U. a. cyanopleurus Wolters, 1963U. a. niassensis Reichenow, 1911Cabinda and the Congo to Kenya and Tanzania in the east south to northern South AfricaSize: Habitat: Diet:LC
Red-cheeked cordon-bleu Male FemaleUraeginthus bengalus (Linnaeus, 1766) Four subspecies U. b. bengalus (Linnaeus, 1766)U. b. brunneigularis Mearns, 1911U. b. ugogensis Reichenow, 1911U. b. katangae Vincent, 1934Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Angola, south Democratic Republic of the Congo and north ZambiaSize: Habitat: Diet:LC
Blue-capped cordon-bleuUraeginthus cyanocephalus (Richmond, 1897)Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, and Tanzania in East AfricaSize: Habitat: Diet:LC