Red-billed Firefinch
Lagonosticta senegala
Bushveld. Red head, neck, breast and upper-tail coverts in male; red lores and upper tail in female; rest of body grey-brown.
Finches, Mannikins, Twinspots, Waxbills
LC
Not Endemic
Description
Common resident. Both sexes have a red rump; cf. [Brown Firefinch]. Male has more extensive red on head and underparts. Distinguished from other firefinches by reddish bill, yellowish eye-ring or, in mixed parties, by the grey-brown females. The call is a nasal ‘fweet, fweet’. Occurs in pairs or small parties in mixed bushveld, especially near watercourses and, in the north, in suburbia. Is host to [Village Indigobird].
Quick Facts
Size
10 cm - S
Names
A: Rooibekvuurvinkie
Z: inkashana
Ss: Mphubetswana-Lomofubedu
G: Senegal-Amarant, Amarant
Bird Family
Small, conical-billed, ground- or grass-feeding seed-eaters, although some will also eat insects. They usually have colourful plumage, although females are usually more drab than males. They generally occur in pairs, or are gregarious when not breeding.
Distribution
Gallery
Behaviour
Breeding
Habitat
Occurs in pairs or small parties in mixed bushveld, especially near watercourses and, in the north, in suburbia.
