Bird Guide

Red-billed Firefinch

Lagonosticta senegala

Least ConcernSeedsWoodlandDomed nestTiny · 9 g

About the Red-billed Firefinch

The red-billed firefinch or Senegal firefinch 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.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

ID tip

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.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

What the Red-billed Firefinch sounds like

Recording: Anne Ndung'u · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via xeno-canto

Where the Red-billed Firefinch lives

Regular rangeRare visitor

Recorded as a rare visitor in United States.

When to see the Red-billed Firefinch

Peak activity in November · a resident species across most of its range

Easily confused with

Side by side: Red-billed Firefinch vs Zebra Finch

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