Estrilda astrild; Print; The common waxbill (Estrilda astrild); also known as the St Helena waxbill; is a small passerine bird belonging to the estrildid finch family. It is native to sub-Saharan Africa but has been introduced to many other regions of the world and now has an estimated global extent of occurrence of 10; 000; 000 sq km. It is popular and easy to keep in captivity.; 1700-1880