Coccopygia melanotis
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
The swee waxbill (Coccopygia melanotis), is a common species of estrildid finch native to Southern Africa. The swee waxbill is 9–10 cm long with a grey head and breast, pale yellow belly, olive back and wings, red lower back and rump, and a black tail. The upper mandible is black and the lower red. The male has a black face, but the female's face is grey. Juveniles are much duller than the female and have an all-black bill.
The swee waxbill is typically found in uplands in dry shrubland and open forest habitats. Some subspecies also occur in lowlands, and may be seen in large gardens. This species is a common and tame bird typically seen in small parties, and does not form large flocks. The swee waxbill's call is typically considered a soft swee, swee.
BirdLife Species Factsheet Clement, Harris and Davis, Finches and Sparrows ISBN 0-7136-8017-2 Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds Swee waxbill Structured guide to the species in southern Africa Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | De Hoop Nature Reserve | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cape Town | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Common Swee Waxbill sighting in Table Mountain National Park on a given day, based on 1,561 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 38th most-seen of the 223 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.
February–May and August–December
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Common Swee Waxbill in Table Mountain National Park on a given day, against about 10% in January and June–July, the lowest months.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Common Swee Waxbill sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Common Swee Waxbill sightings, Table Mountain National Park has the highest daily chance: about 20%. Next come Garden Route National Park (South Africa, about 10%) and De Hoop Nature Reserve (South Africa, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Common Swee Waxbill is recorded against all the birds logged in Table Mountain National Park (1,561 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.
