Estrilda erythronotos
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
The black-faced waxbill (Brunhilda erythronotos) is a common species of estrildid finch found in southern Africa. It is found in Angola, Botswana, Kenya, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The IUCN has classified the species as being of least concern.
The black-faced waxbill was formally described in 1817 by the French ornithologist Louis Pierre Vieillot and given the binary name Fringilla erythronotos. The specific epithet combines the Ancient Greek eruthros meaning "red" and
-nōtos meaning "-backed". The type locality is Kurrichane (Kaditshwene) in the North West province of South Africa. This species was formerly placed in the genus Estrilda. When a molecular phylogenetic study published in 2020 found that Estrilda was paraphyletic, the genus Brunhilda was resurrected for this species and the black-cheeked waxbill.
Two subspecies are recognised: Species text in The Atlas of Southern... Wikipedia →
Recording0:31
Botswana · 2020
© Dewald du Plessis · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Serengeti National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 2 | Mkomazi National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 3 | Ngorongoro Conservation Area | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 4 | Waterberg Plateau Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 5 | Ruaha National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 6 | Nairobi National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 7 | Akagera National Park | 🇷🇼 Rwanda | |
| 8 | Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 9 | Lake Mburo National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 10 | Hwange National Park | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 11 | Etosha National Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 12 | Moremi Game Reserve | 🇧🇼 Botswana | |
| 13 | Tarangire National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 14 | Chobe National Park | 🇧🇼 Botswana | |
| 15 | Amboseli National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 16 | Murchison Falls National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 17 | Tsavo West National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 18 | Masai Mara National Reserve | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 19 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Parc Zoologique et Botanique de Mulhouse | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 2 | Tierpark Hagenbeck | 🇩🇪 Germany |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Black-faced Waxbill sighting in Ngorongoro Conservation Area on a given day, based on 323 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 126th most-seen of the 519 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Black-faced Waxbill in Ngorongoro Conservation Area on a given day, against under 5% in June and September–October, the lowest months. That is one of Ngorongoro Conservation Area's wettest months, with about 190 mm of rain against almost none in July.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Black-faced 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.
Among the best
Of the 19 parks where we can rate Black-faced Waxbill sightings, Ngorongoro Conservation Area ranks 3rd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Serengeti National Park (Tanzania, about 10%) and Mkomazi National Park (Tanzania, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Black-faced Waxbill is recorded against all the birds logged in Ngorongoro Conservation Area (323 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.
