Willem is a wildlife artist based in South Africa. He says "My aim is simply to express the beauty and wonder that is in Nature, and to heighten people's appreciation of plants, animals and the wilderness. Not everything I paint is African! Though I've never been there, I'm also fascinated by Asia and I've done paintings of Asian rhinos and birds as well. I may in future do some of European, Australian and American species too. I'm fascinated by wild things from all over the world! I mainly paint in watercolours. . . but actually many media including 'digital' paintings with the computer!"

These are a couple of Green Twinspots, Mandingoa nitidula. The male is on the left – he has an orange-red face, while the female's is yellowish. I don't know where the genus name 'Mandingoa' comes from, maybe from a local name, but the species name 'nitidula' means 'sparkling', 'pretty', 'flourishing' or 'showy'. As you can see, this is indeed a showy little bird. They are tiny, just 10 cm/4" in total length, but exquisitely pretty with their white-spotted black belly feathers, from which they get their name. There are several other species in Africa also called twinspots, which have similar spotted underparts. They are all fairly closely related to each other, but are distributed over a few different genera. The green twinspot is the only member of the genus Mandingoa and distinctive among the twinspots in its predominantly green plumage. It seems to be most closely related not to other twinspots, but to the crimsonwings of the genus Cryptospiza.

All the twinspots belong to the Waxbill Family, the Estrildidae. Waxbills are small to tiny birds naturally found in Africa, Southeast Asia, and Australia. They are also found as cage birds kept by humans all over the planet, and some of these have escaped into regions where they are not native. The name 'waxbill' comes from the bright red bills of the Common Waxbill, a widespread species in Africa. Many other waxbill species have red bills; others have blackish or bluish bills, and some have bills with more than one colour. Many waxbills have brightly coloured and/or neatly patterned plumage. Together with their tiny size and sweet temper, this is what makes them so popular. I actually find it tragic, to think that these dainty little birds are kept cooped up like that. It's far better for me to encounter them at their liberty in their native grasslands, savannahs, scrublands and forests. I even get waxbills in my garden!

Waxbills have strong, sometimes stout bills, and most species feed largely if not exclusively on seeds. Several species also eat insects, and some eat fruits. The green twinspot is one of the more omnivorous kinds. It occurs in forests, and will feed on the ground as well as in trees, shrubs and tangled climbers. It occurs in pairs or in small groups, sometimes mixing with other species. It can be surprisingly hard to spot, unless you can spot its spots. But with its green back turned towards you, it blends in with the green foliage of the forest. It soft, high, trilling or tinkling calls aren't easily heard from far away. In the forest, or in adjacent plantations of timber trees, they will often target the few species of grass that can tolerate the shady conditions of the forest interior, such as Setaria chevalieri or Oplismenus hirtellus. They cling to the seed-heads, leisurely picking off the fine seeds with their dextrous bills. In South Africa, where there are clear dry and wet seasons, they will sometimes venture outside the forest in the dry season (which is winter here) to seek food in surrounding woodland or scrub. They are also more likely to occur in small groups during the dry season. In South Africa, these waxbills occur at all altitudes from sea level to the treeline at around 1800 m/6000', but in more northerly countries they are replaced at altitudes over 1200 m/4000' by their relative the Redfaced Crimsonwing, Cryptospiza reichenovii.

Like those of other waxbills, the nest of the green twinspot is an untidy-looking ball mostly made of grass. It is usually built in a tree, usually a few metres above the ground, but sometimes they will take over one of the nicely-woven nests of a Forest Weaver. The clutch is four to six eggs. Like other waxbills, the babies have boldly coloured spots on their palates, perhaps to make it easier for their parents to see where to put the food in the dark nest interior. The nestlings also chirp noisily to beg, by means of which their nests can sometimes be found.

At present, green twinspots are rare but still secure in South Africa. The natural forests of this country are well-protected. Their biggest threat is humans who remove them from the wild to sell them as cage birds. This isn't legal in South Africa, but still happens. Fortunately they are widespread over the rest of Africa, occurring also in the huge equatorial rainforest belt. Their small size means they don't need much to survive, and their future can be considered secure for now.

Willem

26.06.23 Front Page

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