Alternative name: Black-throated Firefinch
- Lagonosticta larvata
Includes Vinaceous Firefinch
Identification
Length 11-12 cm
The male is distinguished from other firefinches by its black face. The female is the only pale-vented firefinch with a dark bill (other than juvenile Red-billed and Bar-breasted Firefinches). Breast colour varies geographically (see subspecies).
Distribution
Africa between 15°N and the equator.
Western Africa: Senegambia, Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Democratic Republic of Congo
Eastern Africa: Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Uganda
Taxonomy
Subspecies
Lagonosticta larvata has three or four subspecies:1
- L. l. vinacea
- L. l. togoensis
- L. l. nigricollis
- Eastern Cameroon to Central African Republic, northern Zaire, northern Uganda and southern Sudan
- Breast lavender-grey
- L. l. larvata
Habitat
Ranges from dry thicket to grassland and bamboo.
Behaviour
Thinly distributed. Usually found in pairs or small groups; often with waxbills.
References
- Clements, JF. 2011. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to August 2011. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/downloadable-clements-checklist
- Gill F & Wright M. 2008. Birds of the World: Recommended English Names. Princeton University Press, Princeton NJ, USA. 2006. ISBN 9780691128276 Update (2008) downloaded from http://worldbirdnames.org/names.html.
- Sinclair I & Ryan P. 2003. Birds of Africa south of the Sahara. Princeton University Press. ISBN 0620207299
- Avibase
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Black-faced Firefinch. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 3 June 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Black-faced_Firefinch