The specimens of the Black-and-white mannikin that I have photographed before have been brownish. It is a widely distributed waxbill but with great variation in plumage. In central and western Africa the name is apt, where it, like the bird in the picture, is strikingly black and white. (In south-eastern Africa it has a completely different appearance, with a rusty-red back). The species is found in environments such as moist woodlands, forest edges, gardens and areas with tall grass. It is a resident bird that is often seen in small flocks when it forages on the ground or directly from grass blades.