Avibase: Lagonosticta rubricata (African Firefinch)

African Firefinch

Lagonosticta rubricata (Lichtenstein, MHC 1823)

The African firefinch, also called the dark firefinch or blue-billed firefinch due to the color of its bill, is a common species of estrildid finch found in almost all parts of Africa. It has an estimated global extent of occurrence of 5,400,000 km² (2,100,000 sq mi). Source: Wikipedia

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Classification

Order:
  Passeriformes
Family:
  Estrildidae
Genus:
   Lagonosticta
Scientific:
  Lagonosticta rubricata

Original description

Citation:
(Lichtenstein, MHC 1823)

Reference:
Verz. Doubl. zool. Mus. K. Univ. Berlin

Protonym:
F[ringilla] rubricata

Type locality:
terra Caffrorum ; restricted to Uitenhage, Cape Province, fide Stresemann, 1954, Ann. Mus. Congo, Zool., new ser. (in quarto), 1, p. 81.

Link:
https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/89675#page/47/mode/1up

Avibase identifiers

Avibase ID:
A6034D7F44F99D2B

Avibase ID:
avibase-A6034D7F

Short link:
https://avibase.ca/A6034D7F

Taxonomic Serial Number:
TSN: 560649

Geographic range:

Lagonosticta rubricata: widespread but disjunct sub-Saharan range in lowland to montane grassland, bracken briar, and forest edge, from Senegal to Eritrea and eastern Ethiopia, southward to Gabon and Angola (avoiding Congolian rainforest and most of southwestern Africa), and through east Africa to southeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and Mozambique, and thence southward to eastern and southern South Africa
Lagonosticta rubricata rubricata: South Africa, Eswatini, and Mozambique south of Save River
Lagonosticta rubricata polionota: Guinea to Nigeria
Lagonosticta rubricata [congica or ugandae]: Cameroon southward to northern Angola, eastward to South Sudan, northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, and western Uganda
Lagonosticta rubricata haematocephala: eastern South Sudan, Eritrea and Ethiopia southward through Uganda and Kenya to Zambia, eastern Zimbabwe, Malawi, and central Mozambique
Lagonosticta rubricata landanae: Cabinda and lower Congo River to northwestern Angola and southern Democratic Republic of the Congo
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Source: Clements checklist

English:
African Firefinch
Afrikaans:
Kaapse Vuurvinkie
Bulgarian:
Обикновена червена астрилда
Catalan:
amaranta fosca
Czech:
amarant tmavý
Danish:
Mørkerød Amarant
German:
Dunkelamarant
Esperanto:
malhela fajrestrildo
Spanish:
Amaranta Ocre
Spanish (Spain):
Amaranta ocre
Estonian:
võsa-leekamadiin
Finnish:
tuliruusupeippo
French:
Amarante foncé
Croatian:
ružičastoprsa estrilda
Hungarian:
sötétvörös amarant
Icelandic:
Funastrildi
Italian:
Amaranto africano
Japanese (romaji):
kagerouchou
Japanese:
カゲロウチョウ
Lithuanian:
Afrikinis amarantas
Dutch:
Donkerrode Amarant
Norwegian:
Svartnebbamarant
Polish:
amarantka zmienna
Portuguese:
Peito-de-fogo-de-bico-azul
Portuguese (Portugal):
granadeiro-de-bico-azul
Russian:
Тёмно-красный амарант
Slovak:
amarant tmavý
Serbian:
Tamnocrvena amaranta
Swedish:
Mörkröd amarant
Turkish:
Afrika Ateşispinozu
Ukrainian:
Амарант червоний
Chinese:
灰顶火雀
Chinese (Traditional):
灰頂火雀

Authorities recognizing this taxonomic concept:

African Bird Club Checklist August 2005: African Firefinch ( Lagonosticta rubricata) [version 1]
Avibase taxonomic concepts (current): African Firefinch ( Lagonosticta rubricata) [version 1]
Avibase taxonomic concepts v. 2023 (May 2023): African Firefinch ( Lagonosticta rubricata) [version 1]
Avibase taxonomic concepts v. 2024 (Oct 2024): African Firefinch ( Lagonosticta rubricata) [version 1]
Avibase taxonomic concepts v. 2025 (Nov 2025): African Firefinch ( Lagonosticta rubricata) [version 1]
Avibase taxonomic concepts v. 01 (August 2013): African or Pale-billed Firefinch ( Lagonosticta [rubricata or landanae])
Avibase taxonomic concepts v. 02 (May 2014): African or Pale-billed Firefinch ( Lagonosticta [rubricata or landanae])
Avibase taxonomic concepts v. 03 (March 2015): African or Pale-billed Firefinch ( Lagonosticta [rubricata or landanae])
Avibase taxonomic concepts v. 04 (Aug 2016): African or Pale-billed Firefinch ( Lagonosticta [rubricata or landanae])
Avibase taxonomic concepts v. 05 (Jan 2017): African or Pale-billed Firefinch ( Lagonosticta [rubricata or landanae])
Avibase taxonomic concepts v. 06 (Feb 2018): African or Pale-billed Firefinch ( Lagonosticta [rubricata or landanae])
Avibase taxonomic concepts v. 07 (Feb 2020): African or Pale-billed Firefinch ( Lagonosticta [rubricata or landanae])
Avibase taxonomic concepts v. 08 (Feb 2021): African or Pale-billed Firefinch ( Lagonosticta [rubricata or landanae])
Avilist 2025: African Firefinch ( Lagonosticta rubricata) [version 1]
Birdlife checklist version 09 (Dec 2016): African Firefinch ( Lagonosticta rubricata) [version 1]
Birdlife checklist version 09.1 (Jun 2017): African Firefinch ( Lagonosticta rubricata) [version 1]
HBW and BirdLife Taxonomic Checklist v2 (Dec 2017): African Firefinch ( Lagonosticta rubricata) [version 1]
HBW and BirdLife Taxonomic Checklist v3 (Nov 2018): African Firefinch ( Lagonosticta rubricata) [version 1]
HBW and BirdLife Taxonomic Checklist v4 (Dec 2019): African Firefinch ( Lagonosticta rubricata) [version 1]
HBW and BirdLife Taxonomic Checklist v5 (Dec 2020): African Firefinch ( Lagonosticta rubricata) [version 1]
HBW and BirdLife Taxonomic Checklist v6 (Dec 2021): African Firefinch ( Lagonosticta rubricata) [version 1]
HBW and BirdLife Taxonomic Checklist v6b (Jul 2022): African Firefinch ( Lagonosticta rubricata) [version 1]
HBW and BirdLife Taxonomic Checklist v7 (Dec 2022): African Firefinch ( Lagonosticta rubricata) [version 1]
HBW and BirdLife Taxonomic Checklist v8 (Dec 2023): African Firefinch ( Lagonosticta rubricata) [version 1]
HBW and BirdLife Taxonomic Checklist v9 (Oct 2024): African Firefinch ( Lagonosticta rubricata) [version 1]
HBW and BirdLife Taxonomic Checklist v10 (Oct 2025): African Firefinch ( Lagonosticta rubricata) [version 1]
Clements, version 2022: African Firefinch ( Lagonosticta rubricata) [version 1]
Clements, version 2023: African Firefinch ( Lagonosticta rubricata) [version 1]
Clements, version 2024: African Firefinch ( Lagonosticta rubricata) [version 1]
Clements, version 2025: African Firefinch ( Lagonosticta rubricata) [version 1]
eBird version 2022: African Firefinch ( Lagonosticta rubricata) [version 1]
eBird version 2023: African Firefinch ( Lagonosticta rubricata) [version 1]
eBird version 2024: African Firefinch ( Lagonosticta rubricata) [version 1]
eBird version 2025: African Firefinch ( Lagonosticta rubricata) [version 1]
Howard and Moore 4th edition (vol. 1-2): African Firefinch ( Lagonosticta rubricata) [version 1]
Howard and Moore 4th edition (incl. corrigenda vol.1-2): African Firefinch ( Lagonosticta rubricata) [version 1]
Handbook of the Birds of the World (vol 1-16): African Firefinch ( Lagonosticta rubricata) [version 1]
Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (31/01/2015): African Firefinch ( Lagonosticta rubricata) [version 1]
Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (03/07/2017): African Firefinch ( Lagonosticta rubricata) [version 1]
Handbook of the Birds of the World and Birdlife (Dec 2017): African Firefinch ( Lagonosticta rubricata) [version 1]
Handbook of the Birds of the World and Birdlife (Dec 2018): African Firefinch ( Lagonosticta rubricata) [version 1]
IOC World Bird Names, version 13.1: African Firefinch ( Lagonosticta rubricata) [version 1]
IOC World Bird Names, version 13.2: African Firefinch ( Lagonosticta rubricata) [version 1]
IOC World Bird Names, version 14.1: African Firefinch ( Lagonosticta rubricata) [version 1]
IOC World Bird Names, version 14.2: African Firefinch ( Lagonosticta rubricata) [version 1]
IOC World Bird Names, version 15.1: African Firefinch ( Lagonosticta rubricata) [version 1]
IOC World Bird Names, version 15.2: African Firefinch ( Lagonosticta rubricata) [version 1]

Taxonomic status:

Species status: full species (sometimes nominal subspecies)

This taxon is considered a subspecies of Lagonosticta [rubricata, rhodopareia, virata or umbrinodorsalis] (sensu lato) by some authors

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Related taxa

Alternative arrangements: 1 2 3 4

Highlight taxa in a checklist (shown in red)

Other synonyms