A small, brightly colored finch native to Asia, often kept as a cage bird for its beautiful red plumage and song.
Named after Ahmadabad (also spelled Ahmedabad), a city in Gujarat, India, where the bird was commonly exported from in the 17th-18th centuries. European traders adapted the city name into 'amadavat.'
The amadavat was so popular as an ornamental bird during the Victorian era that it nearly got hunted to extinction—fashionable ladies wanted their red feathers for hats, and birdcatchers turned the entire export industry upside down chasing profit.
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