Pogoniulus pusillus
Silhouette: PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
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.
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. It is often confused with the red-fronted barbet, but it is significantly... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | uMkhuze Game Reserve | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Addo Elephant National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Durban | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Red-fronted Tinkerbird sighting in Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park on a given day, based on 30 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 124th most-seen of the 220 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April and December
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Red-fronted Tinkerbird in Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park on a given day, against under 5% in May to September, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Southern Red-fronted Tinkerbird sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 4
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Southern Red-fronted Tinkerbird sightings, Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park ranks 2nd at about 10%. The best odds are in uMkhuze Game Reserve (South Africa, about 30%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Southern Red-fronted Tinkerbird is recorded against all the birds logged in Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park (30 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
