Any of various small colorful finches found in Africa and Asia, often called waxbills because of their red or waxy-looking beaks.
The word origin is uncertain but may be from a Bantu language. These birds became known to Europeans through colonial trade and ornithologists gave them scientific genus names like Estrilda.
Astrild waxbills were so beloved as caged birds in Victorian times that they became part of the exotic pet trade—their scientific name Estrilda is where 'astrild' comes from.
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