Estrilda erythronotos
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
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 Waterberg Plateau Park on a given day, based on 18 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 72nd most-seen of the 118 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February–March and December
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Black-faced Waxbill in Waterberg Plateau Park on a given day, against under 5% in November, the lowest month. Those are among Waterberg Plateau Park's wettest months, with about 70 mm of rain a month against almost none in May. April and June have too few records to rate.
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, Waterberg Plateau Park ranks 4th at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Serengeti National Park (Tanzania, about 10%), Mkomazi National Park (Tanzania, about 10%) and Ngorongoro Conservation Area (Tanzania, about 10%).
Same family: Estrildidae
The closest relatives of the Black-faced Waxbill that you can see in Waterberg Plateau Park (family Estrildidae, Waxbills and Allies) are Green-winged Pytilia (about 40%), Violet-eared Waxbill (about 30%) and Blue-breasted Cordonbleu (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Black-faced Waxbill is recorded against all the birds logged in Waterberg Plateau 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.
