Bar-breasted Firefinch - BirdForum Opus

Lagonosticta rufopicta

Identification

10cm

• Pink forehead, lores and sides of head
• Grey brown crown and neck
• Brown back and wings
• Yellow brown lower belly and under tail coverts
• Pink upper belly with dark rimmed white spots
• Red upper tail coverts
  

Female similar but duller

Distribution

Africa:
Western Africa: Senegambia, Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Mali, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Democratic Republic of Congo
Eastern Africa: Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda

Taxonomy

Subspecies^[1]

• L. r. rufopicta:

• Senegal to Nigeria, northern Cameroon and Ubangi-Chari

• L. r. lateritia:

• North-eastern Zaire, southern Sudan, western Ethiopia, Uganda and Kenya

Habitat

Tall grass and brush in savanna near river banks.

Behaviour

Breeding

Broad-leaved grass is used to build the nest, which is lined with feathers and they are placed in dense grass or bushes. The four eggs are cared for by both parents.

Diet

The diet includes seeds, especially of grasses, and some insects.

References

1. Clements, JF. 2008. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2008. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
2. Avibase
3. The Finch Handbook, Christa Koepff, April Romagnano

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Bar-breasted Firefinch. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 6 June 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Bar-breasted_Firefinch

External Links

Search for photos of Bar-breasted Firefinch in the gallery