Green-winged Pytilia ( Pytilia melba, family: Estrildidae)
Birds & Birding in the Kruger National Park South Africa. In Roberts 6 this bird was called Melba Finch
The Green-winged Pytilia (Latin name Pytilia melba) is described in
Roberts Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition. This bird has a unique
Roberts number of 834 and you will find a full description of this bird
on page 1058 also a picture of the Green-winged Pytilia on page 1056.
The Green-winged Pytilia belongs to the family of birds classified as
Estrildidae. According to the Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African
Ornithology the Green-winged Pytilia is also known by these other names:
Crimson-faced Waxbill.
In the previous edition of Roberts (ie 6th edition) the Green-winged Pytilia was called the Melba Finch
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
The Green-winged Pytilia is neither Endemic or near Endemic to the Kruger National Park. It is however a common resident
In terms of distribution of the Green-winged Pytilia in the Kruger National Park you may not see it in all areas. Green-winged Pytilia : see above distribution map.
The Green-winged Pytilia.
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 Green-winged Pytilia 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 Green-winged Pytilia is about 13 cms and its weight is about 15 gms
You will find that the male Green-winged Pytilia plumage and colours are different to that of the female Green-winged Pytilia
- Head is brown.
- Eye is brown.
- Bill is brown.
- Throat is brown.
- Back is brown.
- Legs are black.
This bird has normally proportioned leg length.
Main diet items for this bird ...
The Green-winged Pytilia feeds on the ground, and on the wing mainly
Invertebrates
Fruits
Seeds
Breeding and nesting habits for this bird ...
The Green-winged Pytilia is monogamous unless its mate dies. In the event of a partner dying Pytilia melba will seek out a new mate
The nesting habit of Green-winged Pytilia is to create the nest in branches of a tree or shrub. The bird lays eggs which are cream in colour and number between 2 to 4
Habitat and flocking behaviour for this bird ...
The preferred habitats for Green-winged Pytilia are: woodlands and grasslands and riverine areas
You can expect to see Green-winged Pytilia in flocks, or pairs or as single birds.
Names of this avian species in other languages ...
Xhosa ... Unknown
Zulu ... Unknown
Afrikaans ...Gewone Melba
German ... Buntastrild
Portuguese ... Maracacho-d'asa-verde
French ... Beaumarquet melba
Dutch ... Melba-Astrild
First bird in list | Previous bird viewed | Next KNP bird | Last bird in list
For in-depth birding information please refer to these authoritative avian references ...
Robert's 7th edition number ... 834
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
