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Vumba special: Redfaced Crimsonwing (Cryptospiza reichenovii) 

Traveling thousands of kilometers to see lions and elephants is a somewhat strange but well-known habit of European and American people. Some even travel the distance to come to the Vumba, in the hope to catch a glimpse of tiny birds like the Redfaced Crimsonwing or Cryptospiza reichenovii. Giving the most complicated names to the smallest birds seems to be an inside joke among ornithologists. The crimsonwings themselves don’t really mind. In fact they know that they don’t even have crimson wings but crimson backs and rumps. They are happy enough, hopping along the forest edges and clearings, calling each other ‘zeeet’ ‘zeeet’. Nor do the women crimsonwings seem to have equality-rights concerns about the fact that only the men have red faces. On the whole they lead quiet, unobtrusive lives in the forests of East Africa, as far South as the Vumba. They scrape together a comfortable livelihood off the forest floor, living in small groups. They don’t have any major worries of survival, being too small to eat by most and not colourful  enough to end up in someone’s cage. All they might have to worry about is flying into someone’s window. It leaves you rather groggy and the most embarrassing thing is that some idiot will come running out and starts to take lots of pictures of you when all you want to do is get over this splitting headache.

All in all life is rather fun, being a crimsonwing. Especially, as you can disappear into the thick undergrowth at just the precise moment when the bird-watchers come around the corner to get their money’s worth. I’m not sure if crimsonwings are physically able to stick their tongues out but ‘zeeet’ ‘zeeet’  makes a pretty good giggle.  

Eastern District Bird Club