Lonchura bicolor
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
The black-and-white mannikin (Spermestes bicolor) also black-and-white munia or red-backed mannikin, is a species of estrildid finch, widely present throughout sub-Saharan Africa. It has an estimated global extent of occurrence of 4,200,000 km2 (1,600,000 sq mi).
It is found in moist savanna and subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest habitat. The status of the species is evaluated as least concern. They are seedeaters, but are known to feed on algae. The black-and-white mannikin was formally described in 1843 by the British zoologist and collector Louis Fraser from a specimen collected near Cape Palmas in Liberia. He placed the species in the genus Amadina and coined the binomial name Amadina bicolor. The black-and-white mannikin is now one of the four species placed in the genus Spermestes that was introduced in 1837 by William Swainson.
Four subspecies are recognised: Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kibale National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 2 | Arusha National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 3 | Semuliki National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 4 | Mkomazi National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 5 | Gorongosa National Park | 🇲🇿 Mozambique | |
| 6 | Bwindi Impenetrable National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 7 | Meru National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 8 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 9 | Nairobi National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 10 | Aberdare National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 11 | Liwonde National Park | 🇲🇼 Malawi | |
| 12 | Virunga National Park | 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo | |
| 13 | Mikumi National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 14 | Akagera National Park | 🇷🇼 Rwanda | |
| 15 | Volcanoes National Park | 🇷🇼 Rwanda | |
| 16 | Ngorongoro Conservation Area | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 17 | Queen Elizabeth National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 18 | Murchison Falls National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 19 | Masai Mara National Reserve | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 20 | Lake Mburo National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 21 | Nyungwe National Park | 🇷🇼 Rwanda | |
| 22 | Serengeti National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 23 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wilhelma | 🇩🇪 Germany |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Black-and-white Mannikin sighting in iSimangaliso Wetland Park on a given day, based on 71 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 207th most-seen of the 351 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March, May, August and October
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Black-and-white Mannikin in iSimangaliso Wetland Park on a given day, against under 5% in April, June–July, September and November–February, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Black-and-white 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.
8th of 23
Of the 23 parks where we can rate Black-and-white Mannikin sightings, iSimangaliso Wetland Park ranks 8th at under 5%. The best odds are in Kibale National Park (Uganda, about 30%), Arusha National Park (Tanzania, about 20%) and Semuliki National Park (Uganda, about 20%).
Same genus: Lonchura
The closest relatives of the Black-and-white Mannikin that you can see in iSimangaliso Wetland Park (genus Lonchura, Typical Munias and Mannikins) are Bronze Mannikin (about 10%) and Brown-backed Munia (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Black-and-white Mannikin is recorded against all the birds logged in iSimangaliso Wetland Park (71 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.
