Southern Red-fronted Tinkerbird

Pogoniulus pusillus

African Barbets · Piciformes · Uncommon

The Southern Red-fronted Tinkerbird (Pogoniulus pusillus) is a uncommon african barbet found in 6 countries, weighing about 10 g. The southern red-fronted tinkerbird, is a small bird in the African barbet family Lybiidae.

Not EvaluatedUncommonEats fruitshrublandcavity nest10 g

About the Southern Red-fronted Tinkerbird

The southern red-fronted tinkerbird, is a small bird in the African barbet family Lybiidae. It is found in southern Mozambique and eastern South Africa. This species was formerly regarded as conspecific with the northern red-fronted tinkerbird.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

How to identify it

The southern red-fronted tinkerbird is 9–10.5 cm (3.5–4.1 in) in length. It is a plump bird, with a short neck, large head, and short tail. The adult has black upper parts heavily streaked with yellow and white, and a golden wing patch. Its head has a strong black and white pattern, with a red forecrown spot. Its underparts and rump are lemon yellow. Sexes are similar in appearance, but young birds lack the red forehead. This species is distinguished from the yellow-fronted tinkerbird by the colour of the forehead spot, the golden wing patch, and its overall darker appearance.

Where it lives

When to see it

The Southern Red-fronted Tinkerbird can be seen all year round, with peak activity in December. It is a resident species across most of its range.

Easily confused with

Quick questions

How do you identify a Southern Red-fronted Tinkerbird?
The southern red-fronted tinkerbird is 9–10.5 cm (3.5–4.1 in) in length. Full identification notes are on this page.
How big is a Southern Red-fronted Tinkerbird?
The Southern Red-fronted Tinkerbird is a tiny sized bird weighing about 10 g.
Where can you see a Southern Red-fronted Tinkerbird?
The Southern Red-fronted Tinkerbird occurs in 6 countries, including South Africa, Eswatini, Kenya, Mozambique and Tanzania.
What birds look similar to a Southern Red-fronted Tinkerbird?
The Southern Red-fronted Tinkerbird is most easily confused with the Speckled Tinkerbird, the Yellow-throated Tinkerbird and the Red-rumped Tinkerbird.

Learn the Southern Red-fronted Tinkerbird for real

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