Purple Grenadier

The Purple Grenadier (Granatina ianthinogaster) is a common species of estrildid finch. Despite being found throughout Eastern Africa, the best places to watch Purple Grenadiers are Kenya, the eastern and southern parts of Ethiopia, northeast Uganda, and north and central Tanzania. They are a resident bird species that live there all year long. These birds like the acacia thicket-covered, thorny scrub-covered, and occasionally open desert terrain. They can be found anywhere, up to an elevation of around 1600 meters above sea level.

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.