Estrilda melpoda
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
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 |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report an Orange-cheeked Waxbill sighting in Semuliki National Park on a given day, based on 122 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 55th most-seen of the 280 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May
In that month about 50% of wildlife watchers report an Orange-cheeked Waxbill in Semuliki National Park on a given day, against about 20% in January–February and July, the lowest months. That is one of Semuliki National Park's wettest months, with about 140 mm of rain against 5 mm in January.
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.
Yes
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Orange-cheeked Waxbill sightings, Semuliki National Park has the highest daily chance: about 30%. Next come Niokolo-Koba National Park (Senegal, about 30%) and Odzala-Kokoua National Park (Republic of the Congo, about 20%).
Same genus: Estrilda
The closest relatives of the Orange-cheeked Waxbill that you can see in Semuliki National Park (genus Estrilda, Typical Waxbills) are Black-crowned Waxbill (about 10%) and Fawn-breasted Waxbill (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 Semuliki National Park (122 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.
