Swee Waxbill (Coccopygia melanotis)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

Swee Waxbill

Coccopygia melanotis (Temminck, 1823)

6.5 gWeight

The swee waxbill (Coccopygia melanotis), is a common species of estrildid finch native to Southern Africa.

Busiest months: October · Most records: South Africa, Eswatini, Lesotho

Least Concern

Where and when it's recorded

Swee Waxbill has been recorded at 42 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 3 countries and regions.

Records by month Southern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Kirstenbosch Botanical GardenSouth Africa1,423 records
  2. Harold Porter Botanical GardensSouth Africa751 records
  3. Sani Pass (ZA) – low elevationSouth Africa79 records
More places
  1. Rooi-ElsSouth Africa20 records
  2. De Hoop Nature ReserveSouth Africa13 records
  3. Malolotja Nature ReserveEswatini8 records
  4. Strandfontein WTPSouth Africa7 records
  5. Ts'ehlanyane NPLesotho6 records
  6. DO NOT USE** Hluhluwe-Imfolozi GRSouth Africa5 records
  7. Eshowe – Dlinza ForestSouth Africa5 records

Countries and regions with the most records

South AfricaEswatiniLesotho

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 swee waxbill (Coccopygia melanotis), is a common species of estrildid finch native to Southern Africa.

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

Questions

How big is the Swee Waxbill?

The Swee Waxbill weighs around 6.5 g.

Where does the Swee Waxbill live?

Its breeding range: Africa: south-central Zimbabwe and southwestern Mozambique to southern South Africa. It is most often recorded in South Africa, Eswatini and Lesotho.

When is the best time to see the Swee Waxbill?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in October (Southern Hemisphere).

Is the Swee Waxbill endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Swee Waxbill as Least Concern.

What does the Swee Waxbill eat?

Main food: Seeds.

What family is the Swee Waxbill in?

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

At a glance

Weight
6.5 g
Habitat
Shrubland
Diet
Seeds
Lifestyle
Varied
Migration
Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation
Least Concern
More measurements
Wing
48 mm
Tail
37 mm
Bill
9 mm
Tarsus
14 mm

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

Range

Africa: south-central Zimbabwe and southwestern Mozambique to southern South Africa

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Classification

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

Other birds in the genus Coccopygia

Yellow-bellied WaxbillYellow-bellied WaxbillCoccopygia quartiniaAngola WaxbillAngola WaxbillCoccopygia bocageiPictorella MannikinPictorella MannikinHeteromunia pectoralisMountain FiretailMountain FiretailOreostruthus fuliginosusDiamond FiretailDiamond FiretailStagonopleura guttataRed-eared FiretailRed-eared FiretailStagonopleura oculataBeautiful FiretailBeautiful FiretailStagonopleura bellaCrimson FinchCrimson FinchNeochmia phaetonRed-browed FinchRed-browed FinchNeochmia temporalisPainted FinchPainted FinchEmblema pictum
Swee Waxbill

Download illustration

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

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