Purple Grenadier

The Purple Grenadier (Granatina ianthinogaster) is a common species of estrildid finch. Although Purple Grenadiers are present across Eastern Africa, the best locations to see them are in Kenya, the eastern and southern regions of Ethiopia, northeast Uganda, and north and central Tanzania. Year-round, they are a year-round resident bird species. The desert landscape with acacia thickets, thorny scrub, and occasionally open bushy regions is the habitat these birds favor. They can be located anywhere, from sea level to about 1600 meters in elevation.

The average length is 13.3 cm. Adults have a red bill, and all ages and sexes have a black tail. The male has a neck and head that are cinnamon in color, and an eye patch that is blue. The underparts are violet-blue with varying rufous patches and have a purple-blue rump. The female is smaller, predominantly cinnamon brown, and has silver-blue eye patches and white banding on the underparts. Female-like in appearance, juveniles are primarily tawny-brown with no bars and a reddish-brown bill.