The red ear waxbill is commonly confused with the St. Helena. They have the same coloration with only one noticable differance, the black bars or lines on the St. Helena.
Because of the similarities in apperance between male and female, it is often difiicult to determine the sex of Red Ear's. The social nature of the bird's does not ensure that a preening pair are male and female. The male underside is said to have a bit more red, but may be too subtle to notice.
The cock in courtship will carry around a stem or feather in it's mouth and move it's head around in a lively manner and offers the item to it's desired mate. Once the pair has mated, the female starts producing her eggs and she becomes larger in the breast and abdominal areas. Some females may get bald spots due to the agressive hold of the males. Red Ears nest very near the ground in bushes. Most of the time they do not seem interested in breeding, but they will defend their nest most agressively. Nest are built to resemble a baseball sized ball with a small hole for an entrance.
These birds are very social and spend a great deal of time in large groups and are seldom seen off exploring or feeding by themselves. They are not agressive to other species in a mixed flight although they may try to mate with Orange Cheeck Waxbills.
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