Orange Cheeked Wax Bill Song?

[debbyloo]

I am wondering what the orange-cheeked waxbill song is like. I have a two of these birds, and hope they are a male and female, but apparently their coloring alone is not a reliable clue to their gender. I hear them make their "alarm" call a lot - they are like little terrier dogs, barking about every little thing - but I have not heard anything that I would call a song, I don't think, unless it is just not much of a song. Only the male is supposed to sing. I am wondering if I just have two females. They are inseparable, and spend most of their time perched together and preening one another. At least one has begun suddenly to devour the mini mealworms I have been offering, and that sometimes seems to signal that a need for increased protein (egg production). Does anyone have any experience with these kind of finches who could shed some light on the topic?

[dearbhail]

hello..i have a male and female of these birds, they are difficult to sex but someone on this forum told me to look at the vent area, the males will be darker orange, the females lighter. their calls are similar and quite nice to hear. usuall i hear their alarm calls, like you said...like little terriers, but their love songs is nice and somewhat loud.

hope this helps

[debbyloo]

Yes, I've heard about the difference in vent coloring - supposedly not always accurate though. I selected these two orange cheeks that way - one has a very pale vent and the other has a bright orange vent. I hope they are a male/female pair. They do everything together, and spend most of their time perched close and preening each other a lot. I've given them a wicker basket nest camouflaged in a bundle of dried grasses, positioned low in the cage. So far they've just had a blast picking through the dried grass for seed, which has been hilarious to watch. Not seeing any displaying of nesting material or investigating the nest interior yet. I am trying to listen close for anything that might be a "song" - I would really love to find a recording of one so I could figure out if I've heard it or not. They are very entertaining and active little birds. I love the way they "wag" their tails around (reminds me of little dogs) and they are first to alert everyone to any change in the surroundings. Great "watch birds."

[stacyistrouble80]

i don't know if this will help. i went to a bird show today and talk with a man about orange cheeks. i have 2 and ask how to sex them he told me when you hold a orange cheek and the tail feathers spead open its a male don't spead open female. i got 2 males from him. so when i came home i did it to the 2 i have and if it's true i have 2 females. so i don't know if that helps .

[debbyloo]

Thanks for the info - I will try to catch my two sometime and see what happens. It will not be for a while yet because they are in the large flight cage with my nesting owls - who have hatched their eggs and are currently feeding babies!

So, he didn't mention anything about a song the male supposedly sings?