ASTRILDE CENERINO (Euschistospiza cinereovinacea)

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ASTRILDE CENERINO (Euschistospiza cinereovinacea)


in orniculture surprises are always around the corner, and so it happens that a species, thought to be missing, reappears from some farm as if by magic. Unfortunately, however, this does not seem to be the case, because there is a complete lack of documentary data regarding its breeding and the photographic material that can be found on the web is related only to animals in the wild or very old photos in cages (like the one attached). A case of importation of this species is known, in 1963, but there has been no more news, leading to believe that all the imported subjects perished after a short time. On the other hand, other imports must necessarily have taken place because the UK Waxbill Finch Society reports the birth of two specimens in 2001. The Ash-grey Astrilde with its two subspecies (E.C. cinereovinacea and E.C. graueri) lives in western Angola (the first) and ( the second) south-western Uganda up to Zaire, Rhuanda and Burundi. In nature it is very little known, given its extremely shy behavior. However, it lives in the tall grass, in high-altitude mountain valleys or grassy plateaus between 1500 and 1800 m of altitude, close to woods and bushes. It also feeds on the ground.