Red Avadavat

Basic Description

The Red Avadavat is a tiny songbird with a dazzling red rump and an outsized red bill. Breeding males are mostly brilliant red with bold white spotting, a pattern that gives rise to its colloquial name, “strawberry finch.” Females and nonbreeding males have a black mask through the eye, grayish-brown upperparts, and buffy underparts. Red Avadavats are highly social birds; flocks often forage for grass seeds in grassy and scrubby areas. Native to southeastern Asia, they have been introduced in many parts of the world, including the Hawaiian Islands.