Malachite Sunbird
Nectarinia famosa
Breeding male is unmistakable: bright green with a long tail. Non-breeding male is duller but usually still shows some iridescent green and an elongated tail. Female is a big, dull sunbird with a long bill. Found in fynbos, moorland, grassland, scrub, and exotic tree plantations. Restricted to high elevations except in South Africa, where it occurs down to sea level. Song consists of “tyep” notes and emphatic rattles. Female similar to female Bronze Sunbird but larger, duller below, and with a fainter eyebrow.
Identification
The breeding male malachite sunbird, which has very long central tail feathers, is 25 cm long, and the shorter-tailed female 15 cm. The adult male is metallic green when breeding, with blackish-green wings with small yellow pectoral patches. In non-breeding (eclipse) plumage, the male's upperparts are brown apart from the green wings and tail, the latter retaining the elongated feathers. The underparts in eclipse plumage are yellow, flecked with green.<p>The female has brown upperparts and dull yellow underparts with some indistinct streaking on the breast. Her tail is square-ended. The juvenile resembles the female.
Taxonomy
The sunbirds are a group of small Old World passerine birds, and are placed within the family Nectariniidae, which is found across Africa, the Middle East and into South-east Asia. Also called green sugarbird.<p>The malachite sunbird has two subspecies. The nominate N. f. famosa occurs mainly in South Africa, Lesotho and western Eswatini, although its range just extends into southern Namibia and Zimbabwe. N. f. cupreonitens breeds in the highlands from Ethiopia south to northern Mozambique.
- Scientific name
- Nectarinia famosa
- Authority
- (Linnaeus, 1766)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Nectariniidae
- Genus
- Nectarinia
Range and habitat
This large sunbird is found in hilly fynbos (including protea stands as well as areas with aloes) and cool montane and coastal scrub, up to 2,800m altitude in South Africa. It also occurs in parks and gardens (often nesting within those located in the Highveld). It is resident, but may move downhill in winter.<p>This species, like most sunbirds, feeds mainly on nectar, although it will also take insects, especially when feeding young. This sunbird may hunt in a similar manner to a flycatcher, hawking for insect prey from a perch.<p>Most sunbird species can take nectar by hovering like a hummingbird, but usually perch to feed most of the time. As a fairly large sunbird, the malachite sunbird is no exception. They have long thin down-curved bills and brush-tipped tubular tongues, both adaptations to nectar feeding. Some plant species from which malachite sunbirds feed include many Aloe species, such as Aloe broomii, Aloe ferox and Aloe arborescens, and Protea species, such as Protea roupelliae as well as various other bird-pollinated plants such as Leonotis and Strelitzia. It has been suggested that their behaviour of guarding flowering plants may have led to the selection and evolution of long-tubed flowers that would otherwise tend to be robbed (nectar taken but not pollinated) by short-billed sunbird species.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: stable.
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Yellow-billed Teal
Anas flavirostris
Widespread and often common small duck of wetlands, lakes, river mouths, Andean bogs, and streams. Rather small and compact with a dark head, a bright yellow bill (duller for a short while on young birds), and plain grayish sides. The similar Yellow-billed Pintail is larger and more elegant with a paler head and mottled sides. Teal populations in the high Andes (“Altiplano Teal”) have noticeably paler gray sides than southern lowlands birds (“Austral Teal”).
Sulu Boobook
Ninox reyi
A fairly small owl of forest on the Sulu Islands. Uniformly barred, with brown upperparts and head, orange-brown underparts, white speckling on the wing, a broken pale bar behind the shoulder, a pale belly, long whiskers around the face, and yellow eyes. Note the white throat patch. Probably the only owl in its range except for Mantanani Scops-Owl, but Sulu Boobook is rufous rather than gray and lacks the black line around the face. Voice includes strange clucking notes starting with a rapid series ending in three slower notes: “kukukukukuku klok-klok-klok.”
Blue-chinned Sapphire
Chlorestes notata
Widespread hummingbird, but often overlooked. Appears mostly green with a solidly dark blue tail. If seen in good light, note reddish base of bill and (for male) strong bluish sheen on throat and breast. Female identifiable by extensive green spotting below. Occurs in a variety of habitats including river edges, abandoned plantations and second growth, and patches of savanna woodland. Feeds on nectar and defends patches of flowers from other hummingbirds. Male is similar to male Blue-tailed Emerald but is larger, lacks forked tail and has bluish cast on underparts. Female is somewhat similar to Glittering-throated Emerald but has uniformly spotted breast.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.