Red-fronted Tinkerbird
Pogoniulus pusillus
Lowland forests. Black-and-white above with yellow wing-feather edges; red forehead; pale yellow below.
LC
Not Endemic
Description
Common resident. Differs from [Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird] in red forehead and slightly yellower underparts. Immature has black forehead or traces of red. The call is a monotonous ‘purp-purp-purp-purp-purp…’ repeated for long periods; also a high-pitched, rapid ‘kew-kew-kew-kew…’. Inhabits coastal and lowland forest, well-wooded riverbanks and valleys, where it frequents tree canopies. Distribution overlaps with (Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird) only in Swaziland.
Quick Facts
Size
10.5 cm - S
Names
A: Rooiblestinker
Z: unkovuka
Ss: Modisatsatsi Wa Phatlafubedu
G: Feuerstirn-Bartvogel
Bird Family
Stout-billed, robust and often colourful relatives of the woodpeckers, with loud, characteristic calls. They feed on fruits and insects and excavate nest-holes in trees. The smaller species are called tinkerbirds from the likeness of their calls to the metallic sound of a hammer on an anvil. Immatures are duller than adults.
Distribution
Gallery
Behaviour
Breeding
Habitat
Inhabits coastal and lowland 'forest', well-wooded riverbanks and valleys, where it frequents tree canopies.
