Red-billed Firefinch

Overview

The red-billed firefinch (Lagonosticta senegala) is a small, gregarious seed-eating bird in the family Estrildidae. It is a resident breeder throughout most of Sub-Saharan Africa, though it has become extinct in Egypt and is currently expanding northward in southern Algeria.

Identification

• 10 cm in length with entirely scarlet plumage and brown wings in adult males.
• Females have uniformly brown upperparts, buff underparts, and small red patches in front of both eyes.
• Both sexes possess a pink bill and a yellow eye-ring.
• The call is a soft queet-queet and the song is a rising chick-pea-pea-pea.

Habitat

Widespread and abundant across Sub-Saharan Africa, this species frequents open grassland and cultivation areas. It is often found near human habitation, sometimes associating with other species such as the red-cheeked cordon-bleu.

Diet

The bird feeds mainly on grain and other seeds. It builds a large domed nest from grass with a side entrance, situated low in a bush, wall, or thatch, where three to six white eggs are laid.

Did you know?

The nest of the red-billed firefinch is parasitised by the village indigobird.