Sahul Sunbird
Cinnyris frenatus
Tiny and active sunbird of forest edges, parks, and gardens; ranges from Sulawesi east to the northern Moluccas, New Guinea, and northeastern Australia. Both sexes have a plain olive back, a yellow belly, and white tail edges that are flared out in flight. The male flashes an iridescent blue throat while the female has a yellow throat and eyebrow. In parts of range, female Sahul may be confused with female Black Sunbird; note that species’ unmarked gray head and shorter, less curved bill. Gives a buzzy, twittering song, as well as a rising “dwee”, a familiar sound even in cities. Formerly grouped with other, closely related species under “Olive-backed Sunbird.”
Identification
The Sahul sunbird is 10–11.4 cm (3.9–4.5 in) in length. The male weighs 6.7–11.9 g (0.24–0.42 oz), the female 6–10 g (0.21–0.35 oz). The species is sexual dimorphic. The male of the nominate subspecies is olive above, the remiges are black with green edging and the black tail has a white tip. The throat, side of neck and breast are blue-black iridescent. It has a yellow supercilium and a yellow moustachial stripe. The underparts are yellow. The iris is dark brown and the legs are black. The female lacks the iridescent throat patch.
Taxonomy
The Sahul sunbird was formally described in 1843 by the German naturalist Salomon Müller based on a specimen collected on the west coast of New Guinea. He coined the binomial name Nectarinia frenata. The specific epithet frenatus is Latin meaning "bridled". The species was subsequently moved to the genus Cinnyris that had been introduced in 1816 by the French naturalist Georges Cuvier. The Sahul sunbird was formerly considered as a subspecies of the olive-backed sunbird (now the garden sunbird (Cinnyris jugularis) but is now treated as a separate species based on the differences in plumage and the mitochondrial DNA sequence.<p>Four subspecies are recognised:
- Scientific name
- Cinnyris frenatus
- Authority
- (Müller, S, 1843)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Nectariniidae
- Genus
- Cinnyris
Range and habitat
The Sahul sunbird is a resident species from Sulawesi and the Maluku Islands to New Guinea, the Aru Islands, the Bismarck Archipelago, northern Solomon Islands and northeastern Australia. It is found in various habitats including mangroves, forest edge, open scrub as well as parks and gardens.
Behavior
The elongated hanging nest is 30–60 cm (12–24 in) in length and has a hooded side entrance. It is usually placed between 0.5 and 1.5 m (1 ft 8 in and 4 ft 11 in) above the ground but can occasionally be as high as 10 m (33 ft). It is constructed by the female using grass, bark, moss, lichens, leaf fragments, vegetable fibres and spider webs. The clutch of 1–3 eggs is incubated by the female. The eggs hatch after 11–16 days and the young are then fed by both parents. The chicks fledge after 13–16 days. Normally several broods are raised each year.<p>It forages either singly or in small groups. The diet consists of small insects, spiders, nectar and small fruit.
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Violet-backed Starling
Cinnyricinclus leucogaster
A small starling with dramatically different-looking sexes, although both sexes sport a distinctive dark bill and a lemon-yellow eye. The male is iridescent, ranging from plum-violet to purple-blue depending on the light, except for the white belly and vent. The female and juvenile have brown-streaked white bellies and darker brown-streaked upperparts. Pairs and small flocks occupy open woodland, riverine forest, and wooded parkland, where they feed on fruit and berries, being an important dispersal agent of mistletoes, although they also opportunistically take insects, particularly winged termites and ants. Some populations are resident, but most are migratory or nomadic.
Buff-crested Bustard
Lophotis gindiana
A fairly small bustard of thick brush in dry country. The male has a buff crest that is usually hidden, and both sexes have a black belly. Found in dry savanna and thornscrub habitat with lots of bushes, unlike most bustards, which prefer grass-dominated habitats. Similar to Black-bellied and Hartlaub’s Bustards, but smaller, and prefers different habitats. Larger than Little Brown Bustard, with a black belly. The call is a rising and accelerating series of distressed-sounding notes that often precede the display: a quick flight up, then a plummet to the ground.
Spix's Warbling-Antbird
Hypocnemis striata
Relatively small antbird with heavily streaked upperparts, spotted chest, and rusty lower back and belly. Inhabits the understory of humid forest, seasonally flooded forest, and tall second growth. Forages in dense vine tangles, and sometimes accompanies mixed-species flocks or attends army-ant swarms. The song is a descending series of 9-10 clear notes ending abruptly. Similar to Rondonia Warbling-Antbird, but Spix's Warbling-Antbird has a black (not gray) mantle and a more heavily streaked breast, while the back of females is less streaked and duller brown.
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