Bird Album
Black-faced Firefinch
Lagonosticta larvata (Rüppell, 1840)
9.9 gWeight
The black-faced firefinch (Lagonosticta larvata) is a common species of estrildid finch found in Africa.
Busiest months: February–March · Most records: Ghana, Ethiopia, Senegal
Where and when it's recorded
Black-faced Firefinch has been recorded at 28 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 12 countries and regions.
Records by month Northern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Mole NPGhana72 records
- Mole NP – Samole Loop & waterholeGhana56 records
- Gibe GorgeEthiopia33 records
More places
- Campement de WassadouSenegal32 records
- Mole NP – Mole Hotel & waterholeGhana32 records
- Mole NP – Samole loopGhana30 records
- Benoue NPCameroon26 records
- Mole NP – Asibey Loop/Haraba track vicinityGhana19 records
- W National ParkNiger13 records
- Ngaoundaba RanchCameroon7 records
Countries and regions with the most records
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 black-faced firefinch (Lagonosticta larvata) is a common species of estrildid finch found in Africa. It has an estimated global extent of occurrence of 2,100,000 km2.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Black-faced Firefinch?
The Black-faced Firefinch weighs around 9.9 g.
Where does the Black-faced Firefinch live?
Its breeding range: Africa: Sudan and Ethiopia to western, central Africa. It is most often recorded in Ghana, Ethiopia and Senegal.
When is the best time to see the Black-faced Firefinch?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in February and March (Northern Hemisphere).
Is the Black-faced Firefinch endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Black-faced Firefinch as Least Concern.
What does the Black-faced Firefinch eat?
Main food: Seeds.
What family is the Black-faced Firefinch in?
It belongs to the family Waxbills, Munias & Allies (Estrildidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).
At a glance
- Weight
- 9.9 g
- Habitat
- Shrubland
- Diet
- Seeds
- Lifestyle
- Active on the ground
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 51 mm
- Tail
- 45 mm
- Bill
- 11 mm
- Tarsus
- 13 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Africa: Sudan and Ethiopia to western, central Africa
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 FirefinchLagonosticta senegala
African FirefinchLagonosticta rubricata
Jameson's FirefinchLagonosticta rhodopareia
Mali FirefinchLagonosticta virata
Rock FirefinchLagonosticta sanguinodorsalis
Chad FirefinchLagonosticta umbrinodorsalis
Black-bellied FirefinchLagonosticta rara
Bar-breasted FirefinchLagonosticta rufopicta
Brown FirefinchLagonosticta nitidula
Pictorella MannikinHeteromunia pectoralis
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Peter Wilton. ↗
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