Variable Sunbird
Cinnyris venustus
Medium-sized sunbird with strikingly different breeding male and female plumages. Breeding males are green on the head and back, with a purple band across the breast. There is much regional variation; the belly can be yellow-orange, yellow, or white, though it is yellow across most of the range. Some subspecies also show extensive purple onto the throat. Females and non-breeding males are plain olive-brown on the back and dull yellow below. Found in a broad range of habitats, from arid thornscrub to moist savanna, gardens, and forest edge. Vocalizations typical of a sunbird, and include a quick jumbled song. Similar to Collared Sunbird, but larger, with a longer and more curved bill.
Identification
The variable sunbird or yellow-bellied sunbird (Cinnyris venustus), formerly Nectarinia venusta, is a sunbird. The sunbirds are a group of small Old World passerine birds which feed largely on nectar, although they will also take insects, especially when feeding young. Flight is fast and direct on their short wings. Most species can take nectar by hovering like a hummingbird, but usually perch to feed most of the time. The variable sunbird is a fairly common resident breeder in equatorial Africa. Two eggs are laid in a suspended nest in a tree. This species is found in open woodland and cultivation. Variable sunbirds are small, only 10 cm long. They have medium-length thin down-curved bills and brush-tipped tubular tongues, both adaptations to their nectar feeding. The adult male has a glossy green head, throat and nape, and a maroon breast band. In most subspecies, the belly of the male is yellow, but in a few it is orange or white. The female has grey-brown upperparts and yellowish underparts, and an obvious pale supercilium. The eclipse male is like the female, but shows some green, especially on the throat. The call is a clear tew-tew-tew-tew-tew.
Taxonomy
Genus: Cinnyris; Family: Nectariniidae; Order: Passeriformes.
- Scientific name
- Cinnyris venustus
- Authority
- (Shaw, 1799)
- 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
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