Amandava
Amandava is a genus of the estrildid finches. These birds are found in dense grass or scrub in Africa and South Asia. They are gregarious seed-eaters with short, red bills. In earlier literature, amadavat and amidavad have been used. The name amandava, along with amadavat and amidavad are all corruptions of Ahmedabad, a city in Gujarat, India from where the first few specimens of the red munia Amandava amandava were obtained.
Species
The members are:| Image | Scientific name | Common Name | Distribution |
| Red avadavat or red munia | Amandava amandava | Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Pakistan | |
| Green avadavat or green munia | Amandava formosa | central India, around southern Rajasthan, specifically around Oriya village, central Uttar Pradesh, southern Bihar and West Bengal | |
| Orange-breasted waxbill or zebra waxbill | Amandava subflava | south of the Sahara in Africa |
The two avadavats, which are very closely related, are found in tropical South Asia, and the waxbill in Africa. Various members of this genus are sometimes placed in Sporaeginthus.