So put your minds to rest about the recent, “What bird is this #32?” here is the answer. To those who got it right, well done! To the others, we will help coax you along with our birding journey this year as well.
On the morning of Wednesday, January 14th, the mood in the Londolozi Ranger Room was, to put it politely, “saturated.”
A handful of rangers were huddled around a cup of coffee, engaging in the traditional bit of banter about the weather. Londolozi’s landscape is a sponge right now. With 70% of the reserve inaccessible, off-roading a distant memory, and the remaining driveable tracks resembling small rivers, the general sentiment for morning safari was a little bit bleak. We are effectively confined to a tiny fraction of our usual world, debating the difficulty of finding a leopard in a landscape that is as close as what we could get to the Okavango Delta.
Thankfully, we are not as bad as a few other places nearby, but we are still inundated with water.
Then came the thud.
It was a dull, unmistakable sound against the window pane. Expecting to find the usual suspects, perhaps a confused sparrow or a blue waxbill, a few rangers stepped outside.
There, lying on the ground, was something that stopped the banter mid-sentence.
It was tiny, remarkably beautiful, and entirely not what we expected. Word spreads fast at Londolozi, and within minutes, the coffee was forgotten. A huddle of rangers and staff formed a tight circle around the unconscious visitor.
As far as our records go, this bird has only been noted once before at Londolozi, and even that entry was a “sketchy” one, a fleeting glimpse with no photographic proof or substantiating evidence. In the world of birding, if it isn’t documented, it’s a myth.
Bryce was swift to scoop it up; the bird was unconscious, but here it had started to regather itself.
The bird was gently scooped up into Bryce’s hands. For a few tense minutes, we waited. It’s a strange thing to see a group of people who deal with lions and elephants daily, standing in hushed silence, coaxing a few grams of feathers back to life.
Then, a flicker. It sat up, gripped Bryce’s finger, and gathered its senses. After a short recovery period, it took flight—first to a nearby tree to regain its dignity, and then off into the thickets. While we couldn’t see it again, its distinct call could be heard nearby later that afternoon, a vocal confirmation that our visitor was alive and well.
The bird in question? A female Green Twinspot (Mandingoa nitidula).
To the uninitiated, it might just look like another small “LBJ” (Little Brown Job), but to a birder, this is a heavy hitter. Green Twinspots are coastal and montane forest specialists. Their usual haunts are the lush, evergreen forests of the KwaZulu-Natal coast or the escarpment forests far to our west.
So, why was it here?
They are notoriously secretive and discreet birds. They spend their time foraging in the leaf litter of dense undergrowth, rarely venturing into the open. They are likely more common in the Lowveld than we realise; we just don’t see them because they are masters of staying invisible. However, this particular female, possibly pushed off course by the recent deluge or exploring new territory, found herself exactly where she shouldn’t be.
For many of us, this was a “lifer”- a bird seen for the very first time in our lives. It’s a reminder that even when the roads are closed and the bush is impenetrable, the wild has a way of coming to you.
Of course, once the awe wore off and the bird flew away, the competitive reality kicked back in. Lifers are great for the soul, but in the 2026 Birding Big Year, it’s also just one more very, very lucky tick on the Bindo app.
A thrill for sure, but also a reminder to make your windows bird safe! Sadly, even when birds seem ok and fly away they often do not survive for long. I hope that this beauty is one of the exceptions. (I can bring bird safe window decals when I come in June if you’d like).
I think the little twinspot recovered well, it was seen again very briefly with the male two afternoons ago.
Oh what a little lovely bird ! Absolutely charming! Birds are beautiful little genius of languages and nest building … you did a great thing in saving her! Thank you!
It is such a stunning little bird.
She is lovely. I’m glad she made a full recovery. I wonder, if there are others around will they establish a new population, or will they try to navigate their way back to their typical range? I once saw a bird that was so out of range my birding app wouldn’t even let me select it as an option despite a positive and unmistakable ID. It was the same scenario, where a huge storm had pushed it off course.
I think there is a chance of there being more than we realise in this area. However, with them being such secretive birds maybe we just don’t realise, and probably end up pencilling it down to another bird without paying attention to what it is.
Such a stunning little birdie. Well done.
Glad my ID was on the money. I’m generally just a raptor-man but I’m learning the LBJs bush trip by bush trip.
Cheers
These little seed-eaters can be tricky. Well done on getting it correct, though.
So, actually my guess was right, the bird is a green twinspot.
I am so glad that it recovered and was able to fly away again.
Such a pretty bird and hard to find.
Thanks for the wonderful photos of this bird.
I was also so glad that it recovered and flew away.
As someone very interested in birds, I think this is so exciting and I’m really happy for all of you. And for the bird, since it was able to fly away. We rescue a lot of birds – even if they sit stunned for 30 minutes, as long as you sit them up, they are able to fly away eventually.
It was such a great bird to see. Thankfully, it recovered and flew away.
Fantastic! And a lifer moment for all of you. This little bird is actually quite stunning as photographed in Bryce’s hand, and smaller than I had guessed. I wouldn’t call it a LBJ given the green back feathers and spotted breast, yellow face mask…. and you’re correct – given the weather, limited driving range there are still surprises to be found when you least expect them.
They really are pretty little birds, especially when you get a chance to have an up-close look at them.
How wonderful – what a special guest!
I read on the news last week that Kruger NP was closed because of the floods, is that true?
Yes, that is true. The Kruger received unprecedented amounts of rain and so they are in the process of recovering everything after the floods.
She is a beauty with her shiny beak and friendly eyes! She looks like she’s in good hands; she doesn’t seem stressed, even though she had a terrible experience. Thanks for sharing this Sean
Thanks so much, Camilla. It was a relief that she flew off back into the trees and before long she was gone.