Rock Firefinch.
Lagonosticta sanguinodorsalis Payne, 1998
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The rock firefinch (Lagonosticta sanguinodorsalis) is a species of estrildid finch found in the Jos Plateau of central Nigeria and in Cameroon. It has an estimated global extent of occurrence of 29,000 km2 (11,000 sq mi). The rock firefinch was discovered recently, in 1998. Rock firefinches fall in the family Estrildidae, which contains small passerine birds of the Old World and Australasia. Rock firefinches seem to be most closely related to Mali firefinches and Chad firefinches. The species name sanguinodorsalis means blood-red back, which was chosen because it describes the vibrant red back color of the male plumage. The status of the species is evaluated as Least Concern.
Wikipedia contributors, Rock firefinch; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T04:46:20.643715+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Lagonosticta sanguinodorsalis Payne, 1998
- Name authority
- Payne, 1998
- Common name
- Rock Firefinch.
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Estrildidae
- Genus
- Lagonosticta
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderPasseriformes
- familyEstrildidae Bonaparte, 1850
- genusLagonosticta Cabanis, 1851
- speciesLagonosticta sanguinodorsalis Payne, 1998
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Lagonosticta. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Black-throated FirefinchLagonosticta larvata (Rüppell, 1840) | EstrildidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| African FirefinchLagonosticta rubricata (Lichtenstein, 1823) | EstrildidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Mali FirefinchLagonosticta virata Bates, 1932 | EstrildidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Bar-breasted FirefinchLagonosticta rufopicta (Fraser, 1843) | EstrildidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Landana FirefinchLagonosticta landanae Sharpe, 1890 | EstrildidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Brown FirefinchLagonosticta nitidula Hartlaub, 1886 | EstrildidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Black-bellied FirefinchLagonosticta rara (Antinori, 1864) | EstrildidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Jameson's FirefinchLagonosticta rhodopareia (Heuglin, 1868) | EstrildidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Red-billed FirefinchLagonosticta senegala (Linnaeus, 1766) | EstrildidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Chad FirefinchLagonosticta umbrinodorsalis Reichenow, 1910 | EstrildidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=560651 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:3RXPB. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.