Bar-breasted Firefinch (Lagonosticta rufopicta)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

Bar-breasted Firefinch

Lagonosticta rufopicta (Fraser, 1843)

11 cmLength9.3 gWeight

The bar-breasted firefinch (Lagonosticta rufopicta) is a common species of estrildid finch found in western and central Africa.

Busiest months: March · Most records: Ghana, Uganda, Ethiopia

Least Concern

Where and when it's recorded

Busiest months: March · Most records: Ghana, Uganda, Ethiopia

Bar-breasted Firefinch has been recorded at 81 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 14 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Brenu Beach – grasslandsGhana209 records
  2. Mole NP – Samole Loop & waterholeGhana144 records
  3. Mole NPGhana82 records
More places
  1. Gibe GorgeEthiopia76 records
  2. Ebekawopa (Abrafo) – 'farm scrub' habitatGhana71 records
  3. Mole NP – Mole Hotel & waterholeGhana55 records
  4. Atewa – farm scrub and degraded forestGhana49 records
  5. Ebekawopa (Abrafo) Forest ReserveGhana36 records
  6. Benoue NPCameroon34 records
  7. Mole NP – Samole loopGhana31 records

Countries and regions with the most records

GhanaUgandaEthiopiaCameroonNigeriaGambiaKenyaSenegal

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The bar-breasted firefinch (Lagonosticta rufopicta) is a common species of estrildid finch found in western and central Africa. It has an estimated global extent of occurrence of 2,900,000 km².

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Bar-breasted Firefinch?

The Bar-breasted Firefinch is about 11 cm long and weighs around 9.3 g.

Where does the Bar-breasted Firefinch live?

Its breeding range: Africa: western, central. It is most often recorded in Ghana, Uganda and Ethiopia.

When is the best time to see the Bar-breasted Firefinch?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in March (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the Bar-breasted Firefinch endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Bar-breasted Firefinch as Least Concern.

What does the Bar-breasted Firefinch eat?

Main food: Seeds.

What family is the Bar-breasted Firefinch in?

It belongs to the family Waxbills, Munias & Allies (Estrildidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).

At a glance

Length
11 cm
Weight
9.3 g
Habitat
Grassland
Diet
Seeds
Lifestyle
Active on the ground
Migration
Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation
Least Concern
More measurements
Wing
49 mm
Tail
39 mm
Bill
10 mm
Tarsus
13 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Africa: western, central

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Classification

Order
Passerines Passeriformes
Family
Waxbills, Munias & Allies Estrildidae
Genus
Lagonosticta

Other birds in the genus Lagonosticta

Red-billed FirefinchRed-billed FirefinchLagonosticta senegalaAfrican FirefinchAfrican FirefinchLagonosticta rubricataJameson's FirefinchJameson's FirefinchLagonosticta rhodopareiaMali FirefinchMali FirefinchLagonosticta virataRock FirefinchRock FirefinchLagonosticta sanguinodorsalisChad FirefinchChad FirefinchLagonosticta umbrinodorsalisBlack-bellied FirefinchBlack-bellied FirefinchLagonosticta raraBrown FirefinchBrown FirefinchLagonosticta nitidulaBlack-faced FirefinchBlack-faced FirefinchLagonosticta larvataPictorella MannikinPictorella MannikinHeteromunia pectoralis
Bar-breasted Firefinch

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Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Adam Welz. ↗

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