Plumages, age determination, moult and morphometrics in Swee Waxbills Coccopygia melanotis, with notes on Angola Waxbill Coccopygia bocagei

Abstract

We recorded morphometric data for two of the three Coccopygia waxbill species during routine ringing activities in South Africa and Angola. For the Swee Waxbill (Coccopygia melanotis), we present measurements of the wing, tail, tarsus, culmen, and head, along with mass, collected in the austral summer of 2008, 2016, and 2024/2025 in Cape Town, South Africa. We describe characteristics of both sexes and various age classes, with photographic records of
features including the rarely mentioned pale outer tail feathers and the reddish tinge on the coverts and inner secondaries (tertials).
No published measurement data are available for the Angola Waxbill (Coccopygia bocagei). This paper presents measurements and some field observations of Angola Waxbill ringed during a ringing expedition in western Angola. We also compare its plumage features with those of the Swee Waxbill. Where applicable, we compare the plumage features of the Swee and Angola Waxbill with their sister species, the Yellow-bellied Waxbill (Coccopygia quartinia). We also document changes in the distribution ranges of the Swee and Angola Waxbill over almost a century.