Pemba Sunbird
Cinnyris pembae
Male is iridescent green above and dark below, with a purple band across the breast. Female is nondescript, with a pale eyebrow and blurry streaking across the pale yellowish underparts. Restricted to the island of Pemba, where it is common in all habitats. Similar to Tsavo and Violet-breasted Sunbirds, but separated by range. Song is a typical sunbird high-pitched jumble; also gives “tsik” calls.
Identification
The Pemba sunbird (Cinnyris pembae) is a species of bird in the sunbird family. It is endemic to Pemba Island, Tanzania.
Taxonomy
Genus: Cinnyris; Family: Nectariniidae; Order: Passeriformes.
- Scientific name
- Cinnyris pembae
- Authority
- Reichenow, 1905
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Nectariniidae
- Genus
- Cinnyris
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: stable.
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Vanuatu Whistler
Pachycephala chlorura
A brightly colored bird with a bright golden belly, a black chest and head, and a clean white throat. Back, wings, and tail olive. Found in most habitats, including urban gardens. Voice includes a series of loud whistles ending in a two-noted whipcrack sound.
Violet Turaco
Tauraco violaceus
Spectacular purple turaco with a beautiful facial pattern: a large red-and-yellow bill, red bare skin around the eye, a white patch behind the eye, and a dark red back of the head. Shows large crimson wing patches in flight. Found along forest edge and in gallery forest and lush gardens. Acts like a typical turaco, bouncing through the trees and flying occasionally with short bursts of wingbeats and long glides. Call is a low, rollicking trill that is often given in raucous chorus by a group. Similar to Ross’s Turaco, but overlap in range is minimal, and Violet is easily separated by many details of its facial pattern, including its two-colored bill.
Eurasian Spoonbill
Platalea leucorodia
Distinctive, large white wading bird with a spatula for a bill. Adult has short crest, yellowish breast patch. First year has paler bill, with fine black wingtips visible in flight. Sleeping birds have horizontal posture and bulging neck, vs. more vertical stance of egrets. Found in wetlands with shallow water (including tidal flats), where feeds by sweeping its bill side-to-side for crustaceans and small fish. May be confused with egrets when sleeping, but note stockier, more thickset overall appearance.
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