Mali Firefinch Lagonosticta virata Scientific name definitions

10–11 cm; 8·5-10·9 g. Male has crown brownish-grey, mantle and back grey-brown, rump and uppertail-coverts red, tail black, outer margins of rectrices red; upperwing grey-brown, outer primaries broad (not emarginated); lores red, side of face, chin and throat to belly deep pinkish-red, side of breast and upper flanks with small rounded spots, centre of belly grey, lower belly and undertail-coverts black; iris dark brown, pale pinkish-yellow eyering; bill comparatively long, straight and narrow, slate-blue with black tip, upper mandible can be mostly blackish; legs blue-grey to greyish-black or dark brown. Female is similar to male, but slightly paler, lower belly and undertail-coverts sooty grey. Juvenile has crown to back and upperwing-coverts greyish-brown, rump and uppertail-coverts red, tail black, red edges on outer feathers, lores grey, ear-coverts, cheek and underside light greyish-brown, paler on throat, lacks spots.

SE Senegal and S Mali.

Rocky hillsides, grassy and bushy areas around base of rocky hills, and acacia (Acacia) thickets.

Resident.

Small grass seeds, taken on the ground. Forages in pairs and singly, sometimes in small flocks.

Male distance contact call a prolonged plaintive whistle, "feeu", descending from 5 kHz to 3–5 kHz and then held for 1 second, variations including low (2·2 kHz) "feeee" on one pitch, and whistles which start low and rise slightly, "doooey", or start high and barely decline; female distance call a prolonged, plaintive "feeeeeeeeee", 0·8-1 second; excitement or contact call a low wheeze, "kyah", rising rapidly from 1 kHz to 2·8 kHz, falling slowly, 0·2 seconds; alarm call a distinctive rattling trill in three-part phrase, "churrrrrrrr, churr churr", 20–22 notes per second; female call before copulation a soft "tu-tu-tu-tu-tu". Song a series of trills, one slow with short introductory notes and then upslurred whistles at 0·2-second intervals, "wee-wee-wee-wee-wee...", other trills faster with 18 notes per second, and still others in which whistled notes descend scale.

Breeding records Jul–Dec. In courtship, male holds feather or grass stem by base in bill, bounces up and down on perch; females calls, crouches, vibrates tail, male mounts her; experienced, mated pair mates without male display. Nest a hollow ball of grass, with large side entrance, placed near ground in bush or fern. Clutch 3–4 eggs; incubation period c. 11–13 days; nestling skin dark grey to purplish-black, down light grey, corner of gape greyish-pink with two small blue and white papillae on each side in low relief, palate whitish-pink with ring of five black spots, inner mouth on sides bright pink, tongue whitish-pink with or without two black spots; nestling period 19 days; young independent by 32 days after hatching. On evidence of song mimicry, nests parasitized by Barka Indigobird (Vidua larvaticola).

Not globally threatened. Restricted-range species: present in Upper Niger Valley Secondary Area. Uncommon to locally common. In Senegal found only in SE (100 km S of Goudiry). Confirmed at minimum of 100 localities in Mali, where at least some reports of L. rubricata are thought probably to refer to present species. Possibly occurs also in N Guinea.