Green Tinkerbird

Overview

The Pogoniulus simplex is a diminutive and active olive-green barbel in the African barbet family Lybiidae. Its specific epithet, simplex, translates to 'simple' or 'plain', reflecting its lack of obvious facial markings.

Identification

• Approximately 11.5 cm in length with a predominantly olive-green appearance and a paler gray-olive underside.
• Features a short, dagger-shaped bill with a black tip and yellow base, along with a conspicuous bright yellow rump that is often puffed up during vocalizations.
• Displays two distinct yellow wing bars and lacks obvious facial markings, distinguishing it from the similar Moustached Tinkerbird.
• Detected by accelerating trilled phrases repeated for extended periods, as well as slower tooting notes.

Habitat

Found in a discontinuous range across East Africa, from Kenya to Mozambique, with a westward occurrence in Malawi and presence on the island of Zanzibar. It inhabits forest and thicket habitats from coastal rag thickets at sea level up to Afromontane forests at 1,700 meters, preferring dense, tangled understories.

Did you know?

Only two nests have been documented for this species, with one recent observation revealing that a nest was decorated with mistletoe fruit and seeds.