Arabian Waxbill Estrilda rubibarba is a
rather scarce resident of the Tihama region where they have beens seen on Jebal
Faifa summit and at Jebal Gaha as well as at the Raghadan Forest area of Baha. Birds
have also been seen near Tanoumah, Al Baha and as far north as Taif where they
can be seen at Wadi Thee Gazelle and several wadis in the town itself. The
Arabian Waxbill is endemic to Saudi Arabia and Yemen and occurs in the mesic
uplands of the Tihamah foothills, occasionally straying onto the lowland
Tihamah proper. The species is described as rare in southern Saudi Arabia and
the population is suspected to be in decline due to habitat loss as a result of
the increasing use of modern agricultural techniques. They are highly social,
and occur from 250-2,500 m in fertile cultivated Wadis, plains, rocky hillsides
and terraced slopes, usually with a dense cover of trees and bushes. The
species roosts communally in this dense vegetation, and recently fledged
juveniles have been recorded in May. It has become closely associated with
regularly irrigated agricultural areas with flowing water. It is one of the
more difficult of the Arabian Endemics to see.
