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 iSimangaliso Wetland Park on a given day, based on 117 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 164th most-seen of the 351 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.
February
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Red-fronted Tinkerbird in iSimangaliso Wetland Park on a given day, against under 5% in March and July–September, the lowest months. That is one of iSimangaliso Wetland Park's wettest months, with about 130 mm of rain against 30 mm in July.
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.
3rd of 4
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Southern Red-fronted Tinkerbird sightings, iSimangaliso Wetland Park ranks 3rd at about 10%. The best odds are in uMkhuze Game Reserve (South Africa, about 30%) and Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park (South Africa, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Southern Red-fronted Tinkerbird is recorded against all the birds logged in iSimangaliso Wetland Park (117 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.
