Ortygospiza atricollis
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
The black-faced quailfinch (Ortygospiza atricollis atricollis), is a common subspecies of estrildid finch found in western and central of Africa. Some taxonomists consider it to be conspecific with the African quailfinch, others consider all three species to be conspecific.
BirdLife Species Factsheet Quail Finch/Black-faced quailfinch - Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds. African Quailfinch (Ortygospiza atricollis) - Species page in Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nairobi National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 2 | Masai Mara National Reserve | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 3 | Kafue National Park | 🇿🇲 Zambia | |
| 4 | Kidepo Valley National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 5 | Queen Elizabeth National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 6 | Serengeti National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 7 | Ngorongoro Conservation Area | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 8 | Murchison Falls National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 9 | Hwange National Park | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 10 | Amboseli National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 11 | Samburu National Reserve | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 12 | Moremi Game Reserve | 🇧🇼 Botswana | |
| 13 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 14 | Lake Nakuru National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 15 | Etosha National Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 16 | Chobe National Park | 🇧🇼 Botswana |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zoo Pilsen | 🇨🇿 Czechia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Black-faced Quailfinch sighting in Masai Mara National Reserve on a given day, based on 353 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 132nd most-seen of the 398 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Black-faced Quailfinch in Masai Mara National Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in August and September, the lowest months. That is one of Masai Mara National Reserve's wettest months, with about 140 mm of rain against 15 mm in July.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Black-faced Quailfinch sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 16
Of the 16 parks where we can rate Black-faced Quailfinch sightings, Masai Mara National Reserve ranks 2nd at about 10%. The best odds are in Nairobi National Park (Kenya, about 20%).
Same family: Estrildidae
The closest relatives of the Black-faced Quailfinch that you can see in Masai Mara National Reserve (family Estrildidae, Waxbills and Allies) are Purple Grenadier (about 40%), Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu (about 20%) and Red-billed Firefinch (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Black-faced Quailfinch is recorded against all the birds logged in Masai Mara National Reserve (353 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.
