Van Hasselt's Sunbird
Leptocoma brasiliana
Attractive medium-sized sunbird of lowland forests, from coastal scrub forests to inland evergreen forests. Male is black with an iridescent pink-red throat, a red belly, and a glistening blue-green crown. Female is extensively yellowish with a pale vent and a thin dark line through the eye. Purple-throated Sunbird is essentially identical, but ranges do not overlap. Female Plain-throated Sunbird can be similar, but is straighter-billed, with a darker head, and a faint pale ring around the eye. Song, often given from an exposed perch, consists of squeaky rising whistles and chip notes.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Leptocoma brasiliana
- Authority
- (Gmelin, JF, 1788)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Nectariniidae
- Genus
- Leptocoma
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Three-banded Courser
Rhinoptilus cinctus
Elegant, cryptic, long-legged, upland shorebird. Shows a dark upperwing and a largely white underwing in flight. Found in savanna and woodland, including some miombo. Nocturnal species that spends the day roosting under a thick bush. Calls at night with a repeated metallic “chik.” Somewhat similar to Double-banded Courser but is nocturnal and has a more complex and striped head and chest pattern.
Grassland Sparrow
Ammodramus humeralis
Small sparrow with a short tail found in grasslands including agricultural areas with grassy edges. Brownish gray above with heavy dark streaks and brownish wings, and plain gray-buff below. Note the short yellow eyebrow that does not reach beyond the eye. Usually sings a series of soft buzzy whistles from fence posts or shrubs.
White-bellied Sholakili
Sholicola albiventris
Small blue-gray bird with a pale belly and frosty forehead. Found in foothill and montane areas at 1000-2200 meters of elevation, where it inhabits sholas (patches of stunted montane forest separated by open grassy areas), as well as adjacent second growth. Forages unobtrusively in dense undergrowth, often in wet areas. Song is beautifully melodic and thrush-like, full of ringing and buzzing notes.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.