Magnificent Sunbird
Aethopyga magnifica
A stunning small bird of lowland and foothill scrub and gardens in the western Visayas. Male has a bright red head, back, and chest, a purple forehead, a broadening purple mustache stripe, a purple tail, black wings and belly, and a bright yellow patch on the lower back. Similar to Purple-throated, but larger; male lacks the purple throat, and female is mainly olive with distinctive reddish wings and tail. Call is a repeated high-pitched “chik!”
Identification
EBird describes the bird as "A stunning small bird of lowland and foothill scrub and gardens in the western Visayas. Male has a bright red head, back, and chest, a purple forehead, a broadening purple mustache stripe, a purple tail, black wings and belly, and a bright yellow patch on the lower back. Similar to Purple-throated, but larger; male lacks the purple throat, and female is mainly olive with distinctive reddish wings and tail. Call is a repeated high-pitched chik.
Taxonomy
Genus: Aethopyga; Family: Nectariniidae; Order: Passeriformes.
- Scientific name
- Aethopyga magnifica
- Authority
- Sharpe, 1876
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Nectariniidae
- Genus
- Aethopyga
Range and habitat
It is found in fruiting and flowering trees in primary, secondary and cultivated areas up to 1000 masl. <p>IUCN has assessed this bird as least concern with the population trend being assessed as stable. This is due to the species being able to tolerate degraded forest and cultivated areas unlike other forest specialists.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: stable.
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds
White-bellied Mountain-gem
Lampornis hemileucus
Medium-sized hummingbird, male mostly green above with purple throat, thin white line behind eye, and bright white belly. Female not quite as colorful but still unique with white belly and line behind eye; she has a spotted throat. A forest hummingbird that also comes out to edges and gardens.
Green Peafowl
Pavo muticus
An immense game bird of open tropical forests, often near water. Beautiful and unique within its range. Both sexes have glittering green necks, dark wings, and a dark green crest which is always held vertically. Males have the classic great train of the peacocks, which is opened and held up during courtship. Females have a short tail with no frilly plumes, but shares some of the train’s green iridescence. Males gather attendant flocks of many females, and advertise with a sad-sounding “awow-woh!”, often in the late evening or very early morning.
Black-fronted Tyrannulet
Phylloscartes nigrifrons
Small flycatcher of humid tepui forests. Best field marks are grizzled black-and-white face, dark lores, and gray crown. Also note clean grayish-white underparts. Found in forests at middle and higher elevations (above 800 m) on tepui slopes, where it typically occurs in pairs and forages actively for insects, often joining mixed-species flocks. Generally gives only indistinct chip notes while foraging, but may also give an arresting, staccato rattle very unlike other birds in range. Most likely to be confused with the more common Chapman’s Bristle-Tyrant but has conspicuously dark lores and a gray crown and lacks yellow tones on breast and belly.
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