The red-billed firefinch or Senegal firefinch is a small seed-eating bird in the family Estrildidae. This is a resident breeding bird in most of Sub-Saharan Africa with an estimated global extent of occurrence of 10,000,000 km2. It was introduced to Egypt, but the population there has become extinct. It was also introduced to southern Algeria where it is currently expanding northward.
Region
Sub-Saharan Africa
Typical Environment
Occurs widely from West Africa through Central and East Africa into parts of the south, favoring open savanna, scrub, grassy edges, cultivation, and village environs. It readily occupies gardens, farmsteads, and livestock enclosures where seeds are abundant. The species avoids dense closed-canopy forest and true desert but uses riverine thickets and woodland edges. Nests are placed low in shrubs, grass tussocks, or in human structures, reflecting its adaptability. Introduced populations have been recorded north of the Sahara; the Egyptian introduction is extirpated while the Algerian population is expanding.
Altitude Range
0–1800 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 3/5
Also called the Senegal firefinch, this small estrildid finch thrives in human-modified landscapes like gardens and villages. It is a frequent host of the brood-parasitic Village Indigobird (Vidua chalybeata). Males are strikingly crimson while females are brownish with a reddish wash on the face and rump. Although introduced populations have occurred (e.g., Egypt, southern Algeria), the species is naturally widespread across Sub-Saharan Africa.
Temperament
social and active
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats
Social Behavior
Usually seen in pairs or small family groups, often associating loosely with other small seed-eaters around feeding sites. Monogamous pairs build a domed grass nest with a side entrance, placed low in cover or in man-made nooks. Frequently targeted by Village Indigobird brood parasitism, yet maintains robust breeding success due to high adaptability.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
The male delivers a soft, twittering warble interspersed with thin, high notes. Contact calls are quiet chip or tsip notes used continuously while foraging and keeping pairs in touch.
Plumage
Male with bright crimson head and underparts, brownish wings and upperparts, and a vivid red rump; female mainly warm brown with a reddish wash on the face and rump. Both sexes have a neat, sleek feathering with subtle gloss on the red areas in males.
Diet
Primarily consumes small grass and weed seeds, including spilled grain around settlements and farms. Supplements its diet with small insects such as termites and ants, especially during breeding when protein demand increases. Forages mostly on the ground, picking seeds and occasionally gleaning from low seed heads.
Preferred Environment
Feeds in open grassy patches, field margins, village yards, and around livestock pens where seeds accumulate. Regularly visits water sources and uses low shrubs and fences as vantage points between foraging bouts.
