February 17, 2026 - Mali Firefinch (Lagonosticta virata) Found in parts of southeastern Senegal and southern Mali, these waxbills live in dry shrublands and grasslands. They eat small grass seeds, foraging on the ground alone, in pairs, or in small flocks. Recorded breeding between July and December, they build ball-shaped grass nests with side entrances near the ground in bushes or ferns. Females lay clutches of three or four eggs.

Violet-eared Waxbill - Granatina granatina Petersburg, South Africa © Vaughan Jessnitz CC-BY-NC some rights reserved source

*due to oversights/miscounts in initial planning (the Estrildidae family is massive), the three species in the Emblema genus are competing together in this round for the first time.

September 10, 2025 - Kandt's Waxbill (Estrilda kandti) These estrildid finches are found primarily in grassy areas around the edges of forests and in clearings in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, and parts of Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda, and Kenya. They eat seeds from grasses and sedges, foraging in small flocks, sometimes with related species. Birds in breeding condition have been found in March, June, and July. They build oval nests with side entrances from grass in shrubs.

photographs by Dubi Shapiro