Red Avadavat Near Rawal Lake

If ever a bird was so aptly described as a Strawberry, as was done by so by Swabi Birder, it is the male Red Avadavat (Estrilda amandava). His beautiful photograph of this stunning male bird shows it in all its glory.

This species is mostly associated with wetlands as they roost at night in large flocks using reedbeds as cover. Swabi Birder suggested that this bird might be breeding and he is probably correct. In Pakistan, Red Avadavats breed at various times throughout the year. Some breed at the onset of the first Monsoon rains and some breed up to the middle of winter. In Pakistan Roberts reported nests have been found in January, February and May as well.

The species is most common as a breeding resident in Sind and Punjab and Islamabad is at the northerly extreme of its distribution in Pakistan. In recent years the population in Pakistan had been reduced by the activities of bird trappers but it is still, fortunately, a species that the birder in Pakistan can see fairly frequently in suitable habitat.

Male Red Avadavat Swabi Birder

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