Red-billed firefinch

Red-billed firefinch

Senegal firefinch

Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Family
Genus
SPECIES
Lagonosticta senegala

The red-billed firefinch or Senegal firefinch (Lagonosticta senegala ) is a small seed-eating bird in the family Estrildidae. This is a resident breeding bird in most of Sub-Saharan Africa with an estimated global extent of occurrence of 10,000,000 km2. It was introduced to Egypt, but the population there has become extinct. It was also introduced to southern Algeria where it is currently expanding northward.

Appearance

The red-billed firefinch is 10 cm (3.9 in) in length. The adult male has entirely scarlet plumage apart from brown wings. The bill is pink, and there is a yellow eye-ring. Females have uniformly brown upperparts and buff underparts. There is a small red patch in front of both eyes, with the bill also being pink.

Distribution

Geography

This widespread and abundant species is often found around human habitation, often with other species such as the red-cheeked cordon-bleu. Its soft queet-queet call is a familiar African sound. The song is a rising chick-pea-pea-pea.

Show More

The red-billed firefinch is a small gregarious bird which feeds mainly on grain and other seeds. It frequents open grassland and cultivation. The nest is a large domed grass structure with a side entrance, built low in a bush, wall or thatch into which three to six white eggs are laid. The nest of this species is parasitised by the village indigobird.

Show Less
Red-billed firefinch habitat map
Red-billed firefinch habitat map
Red-billed firefinch

Habits and Lifestyle

Lifestyle
Seasonal behavior
Bird's call

Diet and Nutrition

Population

References

1. Red-billed firefinch Wikipedia article - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-billed_firefinch
2. Red-billed firefinch on The IUCN Red List site - https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22719440/132129091
3. Xeno-canto bird call - https://xeno-canto.org/632302

More Fascinating Animals to Learn About