LC
African Firefinch Lagonosticta rubricata



Taxonomy

Taxonomic note
Lagonosticta rubricata (del Hoyo and Collar 2016) was previously split as L. rubricata and L. landanae following Sibley and Monroe (1990, 1993).

 

Taxonomic source(s)
del Hoyo, J., Collar, N.J., Christie, D.A., Elliott, A., Fishpool, L.D.C., Boesman, P. and Kirwan, G.M. 2016. HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Volume 2: Passerines. Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, UK.

IUCN Red List criteria met and history
Red List criteria met
Critically Endangered Endangered Vulnerable
- - -

Red List history
Year Category Criteria
2024 Least Concern
2016 Least Concern
2012 Not Recognised
2008 Not Recognised
2004 Not Recognised
2000 Not Recognised
1994 Not Recognised
1988 Not Recognised
Species attributes

Migratory status not a migrant Forest dependency low
Land-mass type Average mass 10 g
Range

Estimate Data quality
Extent of Occurrence (breeding/resident) 21,700,000 km2 medium
Severely fragmented? no -
Population
Estimate Data quality Derivation Year of estimate
Population size unknown - - -
Population trend stable - suspected -
Generation length 1.89 years - - -

Population justification: The global population size has not been quantified, but the species is reported to be common (Clement 1999). The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

Trend justification: The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.


Country/territory distribution
Country/Territory Presence Origin Resident Breeding visitor Non-breeding visitor Passage migrant
Angola extant native yes
Benin extant native yes
Burundi extant native yes
Cameroon extant native yes
Central African Republic extant native yes
Congo, The Democratic Republic of the extant native yes
Côte d'Ivoire extant native yes
Eritrea extant native yes
Eswatini extant native yes
Ethiopia extant native yes
Ghana extant native yes
Guinea extant native yes
Guinea-Bissau extant native yes
Kenya extant native yes
Liberia extant native yes
Malawi extant native yes
Mozambique extant native yes
Nigeria extant native yes
Rwanda extant native yes
Senegal extant native yes
Sierra Leone extant native yes
South Africa extant native yes
South Sudan extant native yes
Sudan extant native yes
Tanzania extant native yes
Togo extant native yes
Uganda extant native yes
Zambia extant native yes
Zimbabwe extant native yes

Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBA)
Country/Territory IBA Name
Angola Calandula (Quedas de Calandula)
Angola Camabatela
Angola Chongoroi
Angola Maiombe
Angola Quiçama

Habitats & altitude
Habitat (level 1) Habitat (level 2) Importance Occurrence
Artificial/Terrestrial Arable Land marginal resident
Forest Subtropical/Tropical Moist Montane suitable resident
Grassland Subtropical/Tropical Seasonally Wet/Flooded suitable resident
Savanna Dry suitable resident
Shrubland Subtropical/Tropical Dry suitable resident
Wetlands (inland) Permanent Rivers/Streams/Creeks (includes waterfalls) suitable resident
Altitude 0 - 1800 m Occasional altitudinal limits (max) 2420 m

Utilisation
Purpose Scale
Pets/display animals, horticulture international

Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2025) Species factsheet: African Firefinch Lagonosticta rubricata. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/african-firefinch-lagonosticta-rubricata on 21/01/2025.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2025) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/search on 21/01/2025.