About Uraeginthus bengalus (Linnaeus, 1766)
The red-cheeked cordon-bleu (scientific name Uraeginthus bengalus (Linnaeus, 1766)) is a very small finch, similar to other species in its genus. It measures 12.5–13 cm (4.9–5.1 in) in length, with an average weight of 9.9 g (0.35 oz); wild individuals have been recorded weighing between 8.9–11 g (0.31–0.39 oz). Adult males have uniformly brown upperparts, pale blue breast, flanks and tail, and a yellow belly, with a red patch on each cheek that very rarely appears orange or yellow instead. Females have similar patterning but duller coloration, and lack the red cheek spot. Immature birds resemble females, but have blue coloration restricted to the face and throat. This species is common and widespread across much of central and eastern Africa. Its native range extends from the West African countries of Senegal, Gambia and southwestern Mauritania, east through southern Mali, southern Niger, southern Chad and southern Sudan to Ethiopia and northwestern and southwestern Somalia, and south to southern Democratic Republic of the Congo, eastern Angola, northern and western Zambia, southern Tanzania and northern Mozambique. It has also been introduced to the Hawaiian islands of Hawaii and Oahu. It was recorded once in 1924 on Cape Verde, and was observed in the Maadi area of northern Egypt in the mid-1960s; the Egyptian records are thought to involve escaped cage birds, as there have been no additional sightings there since. It has also been photographed in the Los Angeles Area on May 19, 2020. It occurs in every habitat type except forest interiors, at elevations from sea level up to 2,430 m (7,970 ft).
