African Firefinch

African Firefinch

Lagonosticta rubricata

Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at South Luangwa National Park
11 Verified sightings at South Luangwa National Park From 2019 to 2026
1,802 Verified sightings across all 40 parks From 2019 to 2026
February Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the African Firefinch

The African firefinch (Lagonosticta rubricata), also called the blue-billed firefinch, is a common species of estrildid finch found in many parts of Africa. It has an estimated global extent of occurrence of 5,400,000 km2 (2,100,000 mi2).

The African firefinch was formally described in 1823 by the German naturalist Hinrich Lichtenstein. He placed it with the finches in the genus Fringilla and coined the binomial name Fringilla rubricata. Lichtenstein gave the locality as "terra Caffrorum". This has been restricted to the town of Uitenhage in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. The specific epithet rubricata is from Latin rubricatus meaning "orange-red" or "ruddy". The African firefinch is now placed in the genus Lagonosticta that was introduced in 1851 by Jean Cabanis. An alternative common name for this species is the blue-billed firefinch.

Five subspecies are recognised. L. r. polionota Shelley, 1873 – south Senegal to Nigeria L. r. congica Sharpe, 1890 – Cameroon to south Sudan, west Uganda, south, east DR Congo and north Angola L. r. haematocephala Neumann, 1907 – east Sudan, Ethiopia, central, south Uganda, west, central Kenya south to Zambia, Malawi, east... Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at South Luangwa National Park

Red-billed Firefinch
LC

Red-billed Firefinch

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Lagonosticta senegala

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
Jameson's Firefinch
LC

Jameson's Firefinch

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Lagonosticta rhodopareia

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Blue-breasted Cordonbleu
LC

Blue-breasted Cordonbleu

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Uraeginthus angolensis

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely
Green-winged Pytilia
LC

Green-winged Pytilia

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Pytilia melba

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Peters's Twinspot
LC

Peters's Twinspot

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Hypargos niveoguttatus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Bronze Mannikin

Bronze Mannikin

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Lonchura cucullata

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Fawn-breasted Waxbill
LC

Fawn-breasted Waxbill

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Estrilda paludicola

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Locustfinch
LC

Locustfinch

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Paludipasser locustella

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Orange-winged Pytilia
LC

Orange-winged Pytilia

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Pytilia afra

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Black-and-white Mannikin

Black-and-white Mannikin

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Lonchura bicolor

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Orangebreast
LC

Orangebreast

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Amandava subflava

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Cut-throat
LC

Cut-throat

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Amadina fasciata

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Global Distribution

Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Ruaha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
2 Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
3 Mikumi National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
4 Volcanoes National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
~10%
5 Addo Elephant National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
6 Queen Elizabeth National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~10%
7 Akagera National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
~10%
8 Arusha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
9 Nairobi National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
10 Lake Manyara National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
11 Gorongosa National Park 🇲🇿 Mozambique
~10%
12 Lake Mburo National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~10%
13 Virunga National Park 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo
~10%
14 Kruger National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
15 Murchison Falls National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
16 Kibale National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
17 Mkomazi National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
18 Kidepo Valley National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
19 Lake Nakuru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
20 Ngorongoro Conservation Area 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
21 Kafue National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
<5%
22 Liwonde National Park 🇲🇼 Malawi
<5%
23 Tarangire National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
24 South Luangwa National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
<5%
25 Bwindi Impenetrable National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
26 Tsavo West National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
27 Nyungwe National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
<5%
28 Serengeti National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
29 Selous Game Reserve 🇹🇿 Tanzania
Insufficient data
30 Meru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
Insufficient data
31 Lower Zambezi National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
Insufficient data
32 Mana Pools National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
Insufficient data
33 Awash National Park 🇪🇹 Ethiopia
Insufficient data
34 Pilanesberg National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
Insufficient data
35 Aberdare National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
Insufficient data
36 Semuliki National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
Insufficient data
37 Garden Route National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
Insufficient data
38 iSimangaliso Wetland Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
Insufficient data
39 Masai Mara National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
Insufficient data
40 Tsavo East National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a African Firefinch in South Luangwa National Park?

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a African Firefinch sighting in South Luangwa National Park, based on 11 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see African Firefinch in South Luangwa National Park?

February has the highest sighting rate for African Firefinch in South Luangwa National Park in our monthly data.

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