How to Care for Orange Breasted Waxbills

Written by the Birdsville team. Last updated October 2026.

Orange breasted waxbill care comes down to a quality finch seed mix, plenty of live food and egg and biscuit, warmth, and a well set up aviary. The orange breasted waxbill, also called the orange breasted finch, zebra waxbill or “o-breast”, is one of the smallest finches kept in Australian aviculture, at only around 9 cm long. As a member of the waxbill family from Africa, it loves live food as well as its usual finch mix. This guide covers how to care for orange breasted waxbills, from diet and breeding to housing and health, with a full shopping list of the supplies we recommend, delivered Australia-wide by Petsville.

Pair of orange breasted waxbills, with the brighter male on the right — A pair of orange breasted waxbills. The male, on the right, has more orange and a red eye stripe.

Orange Breasted Waxbill Quick Facts

Scientific name: Amandava subflava
Also known as: Orange Breasted Finch, Zebra Waxbill, Gold Breasted Waxbill, O-breast
Native range: much of sub-Saharan Africa, from West Africa and Ethiopia south to South Africa
Adult length: around 9 cm
Lifespan: commonly around 5 to 7 years
Diet: finch seed mix, live food, egg and biscuit, greens
Housing: pairs or colonies
Clutch: around 4 to 6 white eggs, incubated for about 12 days
Sexing: males have more orange and a red stripe above the eye
Temperament: hardy and peaceful
Experience level: beginner to intermediate

Orange Breasted Waxbill Shopping List

Everything in this guide is available from Petsville, which delivers Australia-wide, or in-store at Birdsville in Sydney.

Live food, maw seed and small wicker nests are available in-store at Birdsville.

Orange Breasted Waxbills in the Wild

Orange breasted waxbills are native to Africa, where they’re found across much of the continent south of the Sahara, including Kenya, Ethiopia, Sudan, Angola, Namibia and Botswana. They live on grassy plains and in tall grass, never far from water.

Housing and Warmth

Orange breasted waxbills do well in a long cage or aviary, kept in pairs or colonies. Because they’re so tiny, check that your wire spacing is small enough that they can’t squeeze through. Provide perches of different thicknesses, some cover, a shallow bath, and separate dishes for seed, grit, live food and water.

Seasonal tip: Orange breasted waxbills are tiny African birds that feel the cold. In winter, bring cages indoors or fully shelter outdoor aviaries, cover the windward side, and add gentle heating in cold areas. In summer, give them shade all day, a bath, and Vetafarm Spark Liquid (https://petsville.com.au/products/vetafarm-spark-liquid-50ml) in the water on very hot days.

Orange breasted waxbill pair perched together — Orange breasted waxbills can be bred in pairs or colonies.

Orange Breasted Waxbill Diet

Orange breasted waxbills need a quality finch seed mix, live food, egg and biscuit, greens, grit, vitamins, calcium and clean drinking water every day.

Seed

Feed your o-breasts a good quality finch mix, especially if you want to breed them. Our top pick is Birdsville Blends Finch & Canary (https://petsville.com.au/products/birdsville-blends-finch-canary-500g), our biggest selling finch blend. It’s bagged fresh on site with a high turnover, so the seed never sits on a shelf, and buying from the people who mix it means better value. Be wary of many supermarket and chain store mixes, where the quality can be low. If you’re unsure about your seed, ask a bird specialist.

Maw and niger seed can also be added. Niger is very hard to get in Australia at the moment, so we’re not selling it on its own, but it’s blended into Birdsville Blends Finch & Canary. Maw seed is available in-store.

Sprouted Seed

A great addition to your birds’ diet. Clean it thoroughly with Vetafarm Aviclens (https://petsville.com.au/products/vetafarm-aviclens-water-cleanser-100ml) to remove bacteria before feeding.

Millet Sprays

Fresh millet still on the stem. We recommend French white millet or panicum. Buy them on Petsville (https://petsville.com.au/products/millet-sprays-mixed-100g).

Greens

Seeding grasses, endive, the flowering heads of milk thistle, chickweed, dandelion, Lebanese cucumber and silverbeet.

Live Food

Feed mealworms and fly pupae with a small amount of insectivore mix, such as Insectivore Rearing Mix (https://petsville.com.au/products/wombaroo-insectivore-rearing-mix-250g) or Vetafarm Insecta-Pro (https://petsville.com.au/products/vetafarm-insecta-pro-450g), especially when birds are breeding. Live food is available in-store at Birdsville.

Egg and Biscuit

A great protein supplement that can be fed with the live food. Try Shep’s Egg & Biscuit (https://petsville.com.au/products/sheps-egg-biscuit-500g).

Vitamins

Vitamins in the water are essential for the health and vitality of captive finches. Vetafarm Multivet (https://petsville.com.au/products/vetafarm-multivet-50ml) is a good choice. Vitamins on seed are lost when finches remove the husk.

Calcium and Vitamin D

All birds need a steady supply of calcium for strong bones, healthy feathers and good eggs. We recommend Vetafarm Calcivet (https://petsville.com.au/products/vetafarm-calcivet-50ml), a liquid calcium supplement with vitamin D3 that goes in the drinking water. It’s especially important for birds kept indoors or out of direct sunlight, because window glass blocks the UV light birds need to make their own vitamin D. Breeding hens need extra calcium to lay strong eggs.

Grit

Supply a good quality grit mix containing charcoal, crushed cuttlebone, baked egg shell, shell and limestone, such as shell grit (https://petsville.com.au/products/shell-grit-5kg), in its own dish.

Orange breasted finch showing its orange breast in a planted aviary. — One of the smallest finches in Australian aviculture, at only around 9 cm long.

Breeding Orange Breasted Waxbills

Orange breasted waxbills can be bred two ways: in pairs or in breeding colonies. For the most successful breeding, keep plenty of protein in their diet, with egg and biscuit, mealworms and fly pupae. Some greens are also important, such as fresh seeding grasses, spinach, bok choy and finely chopped vegetables.

They nest in small wicker baskets, available in-store. Provide nesting material such as swamp grass, plus feathers to line the nest (https://petsville.com.au/collections/bird-subsrate). The hen lays around 4 to 6 white eggs, which hatch after about 12 days, and the chicks leave the nest at around 3 weeks old. Vetafarm Breeding Aid (https://petsville.com.au/products/vetafarm-breeding-aid-100ml) on the seed also helps support fertility and chick growth.

Sexing Orange Breasted Waxbills

Adults are easy to sex. The male has much more orange on the breast and a red stripe above the eye. The hen is paler, with a duller yellow breast and no red eye stripe. Young birds look like hens until they colour up.

Health and Parasite Control

Watch for fluffed up feathers, sitting still and inactive, a dirty vent, or a thin chest where the keel bone sticks out. A sick finch can go downhill within hours, and tiny birds like these even faster. Move it to a small, warm cage straight away, add Spark Liquid to its water, and see an avian vet. For more on finch health, see our Finch Care page [Finch Care page link].

Worm your waxbills every 3 months if they live outdoors, or every 6 months indoors, using Vetafarm Wormout Gel (https://petsville.com.au/products/vetafarm-wormout-gel-50ml). Spray birds, nests and the aviary with Avitrol Mite & Lice Spray (https://petsville.com.au/products/fidos-avitrol-bird-mite-and-lice-spray-125ml) every 3 months, avoiding the eyes. Keep new birds separate for 4 to 6 weeks before introducing them, and give them Spark Liquid in their water for the first few days after a move.

Cleaning

Daily: clean drinking water and seed in clean dishes, blow husks off the seed, and remove old live food and greens.
Weekly: clean the cage or aviary thoroughly.
Monthly: disinfect with Vetafarm Avicare (https://petsville.com.au/products/vetafarm-avicare-rtu-500ml), clean or replace branches, and clean out nests after the young have left.

Compatibility with Other Birds

The orange breasted waxbill makes an ideal finch for a mixed collection. They may be small, but they’re quite hardy, can hold their own, and usually get along well with other finch species. Avoid housing them with large or aggressive birds that could bully such a tiny finch. For more on mixing birds, see our Mixing Different Species of Bird page (https://birdsville.net.au/pet-bird-advice-and-training/mixing-different-species-of-bird/).

Orange breasted waxbill perched on a branch — mall but hardy, orange breasted waxbills are ideal for a mixed finch aviary.

Orange Breasted Waxbill Frequently Asked Questions

What do orange breasted waxbills eat?

A quality finch seed mix such as Birdsville Blends Finch & Canary, plus maw and niger, sprouted seed, millet sprays and greens. As waxbills, they love live food like mealworms and fly pupae with insectivore mix, plus egg and biscuit, especially when breeding. Provide grit, vitamins, calcium and fresh water too.

How do you tell a male orange breasted waxbill from a female?

Adult orange breasted waxbills are easy to sex. The male has much more orange on the breast and a red stripe above the eye, while the hen is paler, with a duller yellow breast and no red eye stripe. Young birds look like hens until they colour up.

Is the orange breasted waxbill the smallest finch?

Orange breasted waxbills are one of the smallest finches kept in Australian aviculture, at only around 9 cm long. Despite their tiny size, they’re quite hardy, can hold their own, and usually get along well with other finches in a mixed aviary.

What other names does the orange breasted waxbill have?

The orange breasted waxbill is also called the orange breasted finch, zebra waxbill, gold breasted waxbill, or simply o-breast. All of these names refer to the same tiny African waxbill, Amandava subflava. The name zebra waxbill comes from the fine bars along its sides.

Can orange breasted waxbills live with other finches?

Yes, orange breasted waxbills make an ideal finch for a mixed collection. They may be small, but they’re hardy, can hold their own and usually get along well with other species. Avoid housing them with large or aggressive birds that could bully such a tiny finch.

How do orange breasted waxbills breed?

They can be bred in pairs or colonies. Give them small wicker baskets with swamp grass and feathers for lining, plus plenty of protein from egg and biscuit, mealworms and fly pupae. The hen lays around 4 to 6 white eggs, which hatch after about 12 days.

Orange Breasted Waxbills and Supplies at Birdsville

We have orange breasted waxbills in stock quite often at Birdsville, 684 Botany Road, Alexandria NSW 2015, servicing the Eastern Suburbs and Inner South Sydney. Call (02) 9669 1766, or check our Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/BirdsvilleRosebery/), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/petsvillesydney/) and TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@birdsvillepets) to see what’s in. Every product in this guide is available online from Petsville, delivered Australia-wide, or in-store. Live food, maw seed and small wicker nests are available in-store. Our team will help you set up the right home and diet for your birds.

About Birdsville

Birdsville has been trading in Sydney since 1985, and we believe we’re now the oldest bricks and mortar bird shop still open in Australia. Owner Ash brings experience from vet clinics and from zoo keeping at the Rainforest Habitat in Port Douglas, now Wildlife Habitat. We’re a small business that does things in a big way. Nobody tells us how to run things, so we keep our products the best of the best.