Amadina

Fritz and his team at K-State have been crossing a genotype called "Amadina" onto Overley,

High Plains Journal 2009

They continued their northern course for twenty-five miles farther, when they reached a hollow with natives 'foot-marks all over it, and some diamond sparrows, Amadina of Gould.

Australia Twice Traversed, Illustrated, Ernest Giles 1866

Dull-coloured, small birds, that exist entirely without water, are found in the scrubs; and in the mornings they are sometimes noisy, but not melodious, when there is a likelihood of rain; and the smallest of Australian ornithology, the diamond bird (Amadina) of Gould, is met with at almost every watering place.

Australia Twice Traversed, Illustrated, Ernest Giles 1866

I may remark -- and what I now say applies to almost every other water I ever got by digging in all my wanderings -- that whenever we commenced to dig, a swarm of large and small red hornets immediately came around us, and, generally speaking, diamond birds (Amadina) would also come and twitter near, and when water was got, would drink in great numbers.

Australia Twice Traversed, Illustrated, Ernest Giles 1866

He was generally hid in the trees, and would descend like an arrow when they came to water, frequently carrying off two of the little Amadina castanotis, a favourite bird of ours, one in each talon.

Expedition into Central Australia Charles Sturt 1832

The Amadina castanotus is gregarious, collecting together in hundreds on bushes never very far from water, to which they regularly go at sunset.

Expedition into Central Australia Charles Sturt 1832

Amadina has four minor genes for leaf rust resistance.

High Plains Journal 2009