Pink-throated Twinspot ( Hypargos margaritatus, family: Estrildidae)
The Pink-throated Twinspot (Latin name Hypargos margaritatus) is
described in Roberts Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition. This bird
has a unique Roberts number of 838 and you will find a full description
of this bird on page 1058 also a picture of the Pink-throated Twinspot
on page 1056. The Pink-throated Twinspot belongs to the family of birds
classified as Estrildidae. According to the Percy FitzPatrick Institute
of African Ornithology the Pink-throated Twinspot is also known by these
other names: Verreaux's Twinspot, Rosy Twinspot.
In the previous edition of Roberts (ie 6th edition) the Pink-throated Twinspot was called the
The map of the Kruger you see on this page shows the areas (coloured orange) where this bird has been identified. The basic information was provided by the Avian Demographic Unit based at UCT and I created the maps from that information ... the green dots show the locations of the various Kruger National Park Rest Camps
Endemic species is one that is confined to a specific country or region. For example certain birds endemic to South Africa only exist in that country. One such example is the Pink-throated Twinspot and this species depends upon a particular habitat for survival. Destroy that habitat and the bird will possibly be lost forever.
In terms of distribution of the Pink-throated Twinspot in the Kruger National Park you may not see it in all areas. Pink-throated Twinspot has been recorded in only 1 sections of the arbitrary Kruger Park regions I selected.
Identification assistance for this avian species ...
One of the first indicators to take note of when trying to identify a bird is it relative size. For example how big is the bird compared to a well known familiar bird. The Pink-throated Twinspot is a small bird about the size of a house sparrow. Do not take this relative indicator as anything other than a rough easy to remember indicator. It is not a accurate visualization. The height of the Pink-throated Twinspot is about 13 cms and its weight is about 15 gms
You will find that the male Pink-throated Twinspot plumage and colours are different to that of the female Pink-throated Twinspot
- Head is scarlet.
- Eye is red.
- Bill is black.
- Throat is scarlet.
- Back is yellow.
- Legs are pink.
This bird has normally proportioned leg length.
Main diet items for this bird ...
The Pink-throated Twinspot feeds on the ground mainly
Invertebrates
Seeds
Breeding and nesting habits for this bird ...
The Pink-throated Twinspot is monogamous unless its mate dies. In the event of a partner dying Hypargos margaritatus will seek out a new mate
The nesting habit of Pink-throated Twinspot is to create the nest in branches of a tree or shrub. The bird lays eggs which are white in colour and number between 2 to 5
Habitat and flocking behaviour for this bird ...
The preferred habitats for Pink-throated Twinspot are: woodlands and grasslands and riverine areas
You will normally see the Pink-throated Twinspot in pairs.
Names of this avian species in other languages ...
Xhosa ... Unknown
Zulu ... Unknown
Afrikaans ...Rooskeelkolpensie
German ... Perlastrild
Portuguese ... Pintadinho-de-peito-rosado
French ... Sngali de Verreaux
Dutch ... Parelastrild
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For in-depth birding information please refer to these authoritative avian references ...
Robert's 7th edition number ... 838
The main reference source for this data was "Roberts - Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition" . Other references were "Newmans Birds of the Kruger Park" by Keith Newman published circa 1980 . Names in foreign languages were obtained from the Percy Fitzpatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town website , www.fitzpatrick.uct.ac.za
