Estrilda melpoda
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The orange-cheeked waxbill (Estrilda melpoda) is a common species of estrildid finch native to western and central Africa, with an estimated global extent of occurrence of 3,600,000 km2. The orange-cheeked waxbill lives in small family parties or flocks of thirty of more individuals. Their high-pitched peeps are the best clue of their presence. Like most estridids, they are very acrobatic in their movements on twigs and grass stems, "climbing" up and down verticals and hanging upside down while feeding. Males usually have brighter orange patches on the abdomen.
They feed on tiny grass seeds, which they collect from the ground or, more often, directly from grass panicles. They hang on the stems and harvest the ripe or green seeds, sometimes while hanging upside down. Small insects such as termites, aphids, and gnats are taken during the breeding season.
This species prefers to nest close to or directly on the ground in tangled clumps of tall grass. They will collect the surrounding grass stems together, especially old seed heads (panicles), helping to camouflage the structure. Fine white feathers line the interior where three to six tiny white... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Semuliki National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 2 | Niokolo-Koba National Park | 🇸🇳 Senegal | |
| 3 | Odzala-Kokoua National Park | 🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yaoundé | 🇨🇲 Cameroon | |
| 2 | Brazzaville | 🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo | |
| 3 | Taichung | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | |
| 4 | Accra | 🇬🇭 Ghana | |
| 5 | Serrekunda | 🇬🇲 Gambia | |
| 6 | Singapore | 🇸🇬 Singapore | |
| 7 | Doha | 🇶🇦 Qatar | |
| 8 | Taipei | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | |
| 9 | Kaohsiung | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | |
| 10 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zoo Miami | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Bloedel Conservatory | 🇨🇦 Canada |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report an Orange-cheeked Waxbill sighting in Accra on a given day, based on 13 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 117th most-seen of the 162 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January, April and September
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report an Orange-cheeked Waxbill in Accra on a given day, against under 5% in February–March, May–August and October–December, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Orange-cheeked Waxbill sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
4th of 11
Of the 11 cities where we can rate Orange-cheeked Waxbill sightings, Accra ranks 4th at under 5%. The best odds are in Yaoundé (Cameroon, about 10%), Brazzaville (Republic of the Congo, about 10%) and Taichung (Taiwan, about 10%).
Same family: Estrildidae
The closest relatives of the Orange-cheeked Waxbill that you can see in Accra (family Estrildidae, Waxbills and Allies) are Bronze Mannikin (about 30%) and Bar-breasted Firefinch (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Orange-cheeked Waxbill is recorded against all the birds logged in Accra (13 verified sightings), 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.
