Ursula's Sunbird
Cinnyris ursulae
A small, inconspicuous, and easily overlooked sunbird of mountain forests. At a distance, appears fairly uniform in color, but in good light the greenish back contrasts with the gray face, olive throat, pale belly, and reddish tufts on the sides of the body that are sometimes concealed by the wings. Bill is not overly long, but is distinctly curved. Within its range, most likely to be confused with Little Green Sunbird, but Ursula’s Sunbird has a plain face and more decurved, all black bill. Song varies, but always consists of sharp, high-pitched notes that are sometimes delivered as a jumble and sometimes as a single note followed by a descending pattern of quick, high pitched notes: “tsee-TSEE-TSI-tsi-tsi.”
Taxonomy
Monotypic. Formerly considered a member of the genus Nectarinia along with other Cinnyris sunbirds.
- Scientific name
- Cinnyris ursulae
- Authority
- (Alexander, 1903)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Nectariniidae
- Genus
- Cinnyris
Range and habitat
Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. Its distribution is almost wholly restricted to the Cameroonian Highlands forests and Mount Cameroon and Bioko montane forests ecoregions, occurring in Nigeria, Cameroon, and Equatorial Guinea (specifically, on Bioko). It is threatened by habitat loss.
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds
Banded Ground-Cuckoo
Neomorphus radiolosus
Impressively large, roadrunner-like bird of wet foothill rainforest. It’s one of the rarest and most sought-after birds of northwestern Ecuador and western Colombia. Note large size, long tail, chestnut back, and black-and-white scaled underparts. Terrestrial; most likely to be encountered following large swarms of army ants. Sometimes snaps its bill very loudly. Song is a series of soft, very low-pitched, rising notes given at regular intervals.
Northern Silvery-Kingfisher
Ceyx flumenicola
A small, dashing kingfisher of forested lowland streams in the central Philippines. Overall dark blue in color, more purplish on the underparts, with a creamy throat, a cream-colored spot behind the cheek, an orange spot behind the nostril, a white belly, a pale silvery-blue stripe down the back to the tail, and whitish flecks on the head and wing. Legs bright red. Unmistakable. Voice is a simple, high-pitched “tseep,” often given in flight.
African Rail
Rallus caerulescens
Classic, mid-sized rail. Note the brown back, gray head and chest, barred belly, and reddish bill and legs. Found in wetlands ranging from flooded grassland to deep swamps. Especially favors cattail marshes. Fairly reclusive but walks out into the open more often than most rails. Usually detected by call, a loud, accelerating series of notes that descend the scale. Shares a similar color pattern with African Crake, but African Rail has a longer bill and an unspotted back.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.