Golden-backed pytilia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Golden-backed pytilia |
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Pytilia
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| Species: |
afra
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| Synonyms | |
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Fringilla afra Gmelin, 1789 |
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The orange-winged pytilia (Pytilia afra) is a small, colorful bird found in Africa. It's also sometimes called the golden-backed pytilia. This bird is a type of estrildid finch, which are often called "waxbills" or "finches."
The orange-winged pytilia lives in many different parts of Africa. Because it has a wide range and its numbers are stable, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) says it is a species of least concern. This means it's not currently in danger of disappearing.
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About the Orange-winged Pytilia
How Scientists Named This Bird
The orange-winged pytilia was first officially described in 1789. A German scientist named Johann Friedrich Gmelin gave it its first scientific name, Fringilla afra. He put it in the group of birds called Fringilla, which includes many finches.
Later, in 1837, another scientist named William John Swainson created a new group just for birds like the pytilia. This group is called Pytilia. Today, the orange-winged pytilia is one of five types of pytilias in this group. It's considered a "monotypic" species, meaning there are no different subspecies or types of orange-winged pytilias.
What Does the Orange-winged Pytilia Look Like?
This bird is about 11 cm (4.3 in) long, which is about the length of your hand. It weighs around 14–15 g (0.49–0.53 oz), which is very light!
The male orange-winged pytilia is quite striking:
- Its face, forehead, and chin are bright red.
- The top of its head and the back of its neck are grey.
- Its back is green with a hint of olive color.
- It has bright orange feathers on its wings, which give it its name.
- Its tail feathers are red on the outside and brown on the inside.
- Its chest is pale grey, and its belly has off-white bars.
- Its legs are pink, and its eyes are orange or red.
- Its beak is red.
The female looks a bit different:
- She has a grey head with no red.
- Her back and wings are not as bright as the male's.
- The bars on her belly are wider.
Young pytilia birds look like the female but are even duller in color.
Where Do Orange-winged Pytilias Live?
You can find the orange-winged pytilia in many countries across Africa. These include Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
They live in places where forests meet open areas, like the edges of forests. They also like miombo woodlands and grassy areas with trees, especially where it's a bit moist. They can be found at different heights, up to 1,800 m (5,900 ft) above sea level.
Orange-winged Pytilia Behavior and Life Cycle
Orange-winged pytilias usually live in small groups. When it's not breeding season, they might gather in larger, looser groups to find food. They mostly search for food on the ground, eating seeds. They probably eat insects too! If there isn't much food in one area, they can fly long distances to find more.
Their call sounds like seee. Their song is a series of quick, repeated whistles.
Sometimes, another bird called the broad-tailed paradise whydah will lay its eggs in the pytilia's nest. This is called "brood parasitism." The whydah chick will even copy the pytilia's call!
The breeding season for the orange-winged pytilia varies depending on the region:
- In southeastern Congo, it's from April to May.
- In Zambia and Zimbabwe, it's from January to May.
- In Malawi, it's from March to June.
- In Tanzania, it's from April to June.
The pytilia's eggs weigh about 1.42 g (0.050 oz). The eggs laid by the whydah (the parasite) are a bit heavier, around 1.64 g (0.058 oz). It takes about 12 to 13 days for the pytilia eggs to hatch. The young birds stay in the nest for about 21 days after hatching.
Status of the Orange-winged Pytilia
The IUCN has listed the orange-winged pytilia as a species of least concern. This is because the bird lives in a very large area, and its population numbers seem to be stable. This means they are not currently at risk of becoming endangered. However, sometimes these birds are caught and kept as pet birds in cages.
