Black-faced Waxbill
Estrilda erythronotos
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderPasseriformes (Perching Birds)
- FamilyEstrildidae (Waxbills and Allies)
- GenusEstrilda (Typical Waxbills)
- SpeciesEstrilda erythronotos (Black-faced Waxbill)
About the Black-faced Waxbill
The black-faced waxbill (Brunhilda erythronotos) is a common species of estrildid finch found in southern Africa. It is found in Angola, Botswana, Kenya, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The IUCN has classified the species as being of least concern.
The black-faced waxbill was formally described in 1817 by the French ornithologist Louis Pierre Vieillot and given the binary name Fringilla erythronotos. The specific epithet combines the Ancient Greek eruthros meaning "red" and
-nōtos meaning "-backed". The type locality is Kurrichane (Kaditshwene) in the North West province of South Africa. This species was formerly placed in the genus Estrilda. When a molecular phylogenetic study published in 2020 found that Estrilda was paraphyletic, the genus Brunhilda was resurrected for this species and the black-cheeked waxbill.
Two subspecies are recognised: B. e. delamerei (Sharpe, 1900) – southwest Uganda, west Kenya to central Tanzania B. e. erythronotos (Vieillot, 1817) – Angola and Namibia to Zimbabwe and north South Africa BirdLife International species factsheet
Species text in The Atlas of Southern... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Black-faced Waxbill in Murchison Falls National Park
LIVEiNaturalistClosest Relatives at Murchison Falls National Park
Black-rumped Waxbill
Estrilda troglodytes
Fawn-breasted Waxbill
Estrilda paludicola
Black-crowned Waxbill
Estrilda nonnula
Crimson-rumped Waxbill
Estrilda rhodopyga
Orange-cheeked Waxbill
Estrilda melpoda
Black-cheeked Waxbill
Estrilda charmosyna
Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu
Uraeginthus bengalus
Bronze Mannikin
Lonchura cucullata
Red-billed Firefinch
Lagonosticta senegala
Bar-breasted Firefinch
Lagonosticta rufopicta
African Firefinch
Lagonosticta rubricata
Black-faced Quailfinch
Ortygospiza atricollis
Global Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Black-faced Waxbill in Murchison Falls National Park?
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Black-faced Waxbill sighting in Murchison Falls National Park, based on 24 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Black-faced Waxbill in Murchison Falls National Park?
June has the highest sighting rate for Black-faced Waxbill in Murchison Falls National Park in our monthly data.