Common Waxbill vs Lion

Estrilda astrild compared with Panthera leo

Key Differences

• Common Waxbill is Least Concern while Lion is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Waxbill	Lion
Kingdom same	Animalia (hayvan)	Animalia (hayvan)
Phylum same	Chordata (Kordalılar)	Chordata (Kordalılar)
Class	Aves (kuş)	Mammalia (memeliler)
Order	Passeriformes (Ötücü kuşlar)	Carnivora (etçiller)
Family	Estrildidae	Felidae (Cats)
Genus	Estrilda	Panthera (Big Cats)
Species	Estrilda astrild	Panthera leo

Evolutionary Relationship

Common Waxbill and Lion share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Kordalılar)

Conservation Status

Common Waxbill

LC — Least Concern

Lion

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~23.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Waxbill	Lion
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	15 years
Average Length	—	2.5 m
Average Weight	—	190.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common Waxbill

Habitat

Inhabits tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests and tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests spanning the Australasia and Afrotropic realms.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Cabo Verde, Mauritius, Sao Tome and Principe), Asia (Taiwan, United Arab Emirates), Europe (9 countries), North America (Trinidad and Tobago, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Vanuatu), and South America (Brazil, Uruguay).

Lion

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, and flooded grasslands and savannas, among 7 distinct biome types spanning the Afrotropic and Neotropic and Oceanian realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, and Kenya. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Common Waxbill

The most widespread waxbill in Africa, common waxbills are native to sub-Saharan Africa but have been introduced across the Iberian Peninsula, Brazil, Hawaii, and several Atlantic islands, becoming one of the world's most widely distributed cage bird escapees. Small, lively finches with red bills and a red stripe through the eye, they inhabit rank grasslands and areas near water. Highly gregarious, often seen in large mixed flocks with other estrildids.

Lion

The largest wild cat in Africa, lions reach up to 250 kg and are the only social felids, living in prides across sub-Saharan savannas and grasslands. Males are distinguished by their iconic manes. As apex predators, they regulate herbivore populations and maintain ecosystem balance. Listed as Vulnerable due to habitat loss and human-wildlife conflict.