Beautiful Sunbird
Cinnyris pulchellus
A slim, long-billed sunbird in which breeding males and females are very different. Breeding males are mostly dark green with a red-and-yellow band across the underparts. Females are plain, with gray-brown upperparts and white underparts tinged with yellow. Found in a wide variety of open habitats including savanna, woodland, and gardens. Similar to Black-bellied Sunbird, but breeding males are separated by the more extensive yellow in their belly band, and females by their reduced streaking below. Little or no range overlap with Gorgeous Sunbird, but if in doubt the green belly of breeding male Beautiful Sunbird will identify it. The common call is a quiet chipping, and the song is a high-pitched jumble typical of sunbirds.
Identification
Beautiful sunbirds are tiny, only 10 cm (4 in) long, although the breeding male's long tail adds another 5 cm (2 in). They have medium-length thin down-curved bills and brush-tipped tubular tongues, both of which are adaptations to their nectar feeding. The male has a black head, bright metallic green upper parts, scarlet breast bordered with yellow and black belly. The central feathers of the teal are greatly elongated. The female is brown above with yellowish underparts.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Cinnyris pulchellus
- Authority
- (Linnaeus, 1766)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Nectariniidae
- Genus
- Cinnyris
Range and habitat
The beautiful sunbird occurs in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo and Uganda. This species is found in a variety of open habitats with some trees, including savannah, riverside thickets, mangroves, beachsides and gardens.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The sunbirds are a group of very 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 beautiful sunbird is a common breeder across sub-Saharan tropical Africa. One or two eggs are laid in a suspended nest in a tree. It is a seasonal migrant within its range.
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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