southern red-fronted tinkerbird
{{Short description|Species of bird}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Tinkerbird Red-fronted 2010 10 08 16 Alan Manson Ithala GR.jpg
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| genus = Pogoniulus
| species = pusillus
| authority = (Dumont, 1805)
}}
The southern red-fronted tinkerbird, (Pogoniulus pusillus) 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 (Pogoniulus uropygialis).
The southern red-fronted tinkerbird is associated with juniper forest and scrub. It nests in a tree hole and lays two or three eggs. It eats berries and fruit, particularly mistletoe, but also takes insects as it forages in deep cover.
Description
The southern red-fronted tinkerbird is {{cvt|9|–|10.5|cm}} in length. It is a plump bird, with a short neck, large head, and short tail.{{Cite web|title=Red-fronted Tinkerbird - eBird|url=https://ebird.org/species/reftin1|access-date=2020-11-21|website=ebird.org|language=en}} 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. It is often confused with the red-fronted barbet, but it is significantly smaller than that species, has a black moustache and a less robust bill, and lacks a broad yellow superciliary stripe.
At about 100 repetitions per minute, the red-fronted tinkerbird's call is a fast tink-tink-tink-tink, very similar to that of the yellow-fronted tinkerbird. Many barbets perch prominently, but unlike their larger relatives, the smaller tinkerbirds sing from cover and are more frequently heard than seen.
References
{{Reflist}}
- Sinclair, Hockey and Tarboton, SASOL Birds of Southern Africa, {{ISBN|1-86872-721-1}}
External links
{{Commonscat|Pogoniulus pusillus}}
{{Wikispecies|Pogoniulus pusillus}}
- Red-fronted tinkerbird - [http://sabap2.adu.org.za/docs/sabap1/469.pdf Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds]
- [http://www.kenyabirds.org.uk/tinker-rf.htm Kenya birds]
{{Taxonbar|from=Q1273443}}
Category:Birds of Southern Africa