Green-backed twinspot
species of bird

The green-backed twinspot or green twinspot (Mandingoa nitidula) is an estrildid finch found in many parts of Sub-Saharan Africa. The IUCN has classified the species as being of least concern.
Subspecies
The green-backed twinspot has four sub-species:
Mandingoa nitidula chubbi
Mandingoa nitidula nitidula
Mandingoa nitidula schlegeli
Mandingoa nitidula virginiae
Habitat
The green-backed twinspot inhabits lowland moist forests of the tropical region. It may also be found in grassland and shrubland habitats.
Males are distinguished from females by their bright red facial feathers. Females have an olive-green face and darker (almost black) beak.
Aviculture
The green backed twinspot prefers its privacy in regards to breeding. Males in the breeding season will raise their heads, looking straight up while "dancing" on the perch next to the female, moving in a side-stepping fashion. The female, if receptive, will crouch down and point her tail to the male. Green backed twinspots tend to pair with one female and care for her and the young while breeding.
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Datasets, specimens, observations and peer-reviewed methods provide the appropriate test for the technical claims summarized here. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 28, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q578352. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
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This entry incorporates text from “Green-backed twinspot” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.