Lonchura fringilloides
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5%
The magpie mannikin or magpie munia (Spermestes fringilloides) is a species of estrildid finch, sparsely present across Sub-Saharan Africa. It has an estimated global extent of occurrence of 1,400,000 km2. It is found in subtropical/ tropical (lowland) moist shrubland, forest and dry grassland habitat. The status of the species is evaluated as Least Concern.
BirdLife Species Factsheet Magpie mannikin - Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kibale National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 2 | Semuliki National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 3 | Bwindi Impenetrable National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Magpie Mannikin sighting in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park on a given day, based on 14 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 328th most-seen of the 400 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Magpie Mannikin in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park on a given day, against under 5% in November to September, the lowest months. That is one of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park's wettest months, with about 320 mm of rain against 65 mm in January.
Between 3 and 6 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Magpie Mannikin sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 3
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Magpie Mannikin sightings, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park ranks 3rd at under 5%. The best odds are in Kibale National Park (Uganda, about 10%) and Semuliki National Park (Uganda, under 5%).
Same genus: Lonchura
The closest relatives of the Magpie Mannikin that you can see in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (genus Lonchura, Typical Munias and Mannikins) are Bronze Mannikin (about 10%) and Black-and-white Mannikin (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Magpie Mannikin is recorded against all the birds logged in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (14 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
