Lonchura fringilloides
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
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 Semuliki National Park on a given day, based on 18 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 184th most-seen of the 280 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.
December
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Magpie Mannikin in Semuliki National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February–June and August–November, the lowest months. That is one of Semuliki National Park's driest months, with about 40 mm of rain against 140 mm in May.
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.
2nd of 3
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Magpie Mannikin sightings, Semuliki National Park ranks 2nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Kibale National Park (Uganda, about 10%).
Same genus: Lonchura
The closest relatives of the Magpie Mannikin that you can see in Semuliki National Park (genus Lonchura, Typical Munias and Mannikins) are Bronze Mannikin (about 40%) and Black-and-white Mannikin (about 20%), 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 Semuliki National Park (18 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.
