Angola, Burundi, Congo [The Democratic Republic of the], Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania [United Republic of], Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
South-central Zimbabwe, northern eastern and southern South Africa, Swaziland and eastern Lesotho, also extreme south-western Mozambique (Lebombo Mts).
Rarity Status
Currently this species is not classified as a rarity in this country OR information has not been updated.
Population
Estimated population is unknown (2012).
Swee Waxbill (Coccopygia melanotis) [XC373871]
by Peter Boesman from Sibuya Private Reserve, Port Alfred, Western District, Eastern Cape, South Africa (call)
Swee Waxbill (Coccopygia melanotis) [XC523717]
by Frank Lambert from Harold Porter Botanical garden, Betty's Bay, Western Cape, South Africa (call)
Subspecies
Swee Waxbill (Coccopygia melanotis) and Yellow-bellied Waxbill (Coccopygia quartinia) (Sibley and Monroe 1990, 1993) have been lumped into Estrilda melanotis following Dowsett and Forbes-Watson (1993).
Thought to form a superspecies with Coccopygia bocagei and Yellow-bellied Waxbill (Coccopygia quartinia) and often treated as conspecific, but differ morphologically and in behaviour.
The following 2 subspecies are recognised:
melanotis (Temminck, 1823) - South-central Zimbabwe and south-western Mozambique to southern South Africa.
bocagei (Shelley, 1903) - Angola. Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Angola Waxbill (Coccopygia bocagei).
BirdLife International Species Factsheet