Red-billed Firefinch
Lagonosticta senegala
This male red-billed firefinch was observed in an urban garden, Nairobi, Kenya. December 2011.
This female red-billed firefinch was also observed in an urban garden, Nairobi, Kenya. October 2010.
These small birds (about 9 to 10 cm from beak to vent) with their conical, seed-cracking bills, feed especially on grass seeds. This is the most frequent of the firefinches is frequent on farms and in town gardens. The females have more extensive earth tones than the red males. Red-billed Firefinch is widespread on the African continent.
Estrildidae -- Waxbill Family
Books:
- Birds of Kenya and Northern Tanzania by Zimmerman et al.
- Birds of East Africa by Stevenson and Fanshawe