Yellow-bellied Sunbird-Asity
Neodrepanis hypoxantha
Tiny, round, short-tailed yellow-bellied bird with a thin curved bill. Males are blue on the back and have bright bare skin around the eye in breeding plumage. Rare Madagascar endemic that is found very locally in eastern and northern rainforest at middle and high elevations. Usually in the canopy of stunted forest along ridgelines. Hyperactive nectar feeder that constantly flits from flower to flower. Call is a series of quiet and very high-pitched “tip” notes. Similar to Common Sunbird-Asity, but has brighter yellow underparts and a smaller, less curved bill. Smaller than Souimanga Sunbird, with a thinner bill and shorter tail.
Identification
The plumage of male yellow-bellied sunbird-asities is very bright, with clean yellow undersides and dark black upper sides with an iridescent blue sheen; the females are duller. The eye is surrounded by a bright blue wattle which derives its colour, like the rest of the asities, from bundles of collagen. The bill is long and decurved, as it is adapted for nectar feeding.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Neodrepanis hypoxantha
- Authority
- Salomonsen, 1933
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Philepittidae
- Genus
- Neodrepanis
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
This species is endemic to montane forest above 1600 m on the island of Madagascar. Yellow-bellied sunbird-asities are active nectar feeders. They will aggressively defend a nectar source from rivals of the same species as well as from sunbirds.<p>The yellow-bellied sunbird-asity is listed as vulnerable by BirdLife International and the IUCN. It was once considered to be an endangered species, and even possibly extinct; however, this was due to a lack of ornithological surveys in its high-altitude range. Subsequent research has found it to be more abundant than previously suspected, although it is still considered threatened due to habitat loss and fragmentation.
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Malabar Parakeet
Psittacula columboides
This striking parakeet is restricted to the forests of India’s Western Ghats. Bluish-gray male has a bright red upper bill and a black-and-blue collar. The greener female has an all-dark bill and a weaker black collar. Both sexes have blue in the wings and tail, though male’s is more prominent. Gives harsh, buzzy, high-pitched screeching, often as the birds shoot overhead. Favors forest and forest edge.
Tepui Toucanet
Aulacorhynchus whitelianus
Small green toucan of tepui highlands; unique in range. Appears slender and small-billed with mostly green plumage contrasting with reddish bill and chestnut tail feather tips. Found in mossy highland forest, generally above 800 meters, where groups move through canopy searching for fruit; sometimes moves with other bird species and will congregate around fruiting trees. Not particularly vocal and surprisingly easy to overlook. Call is a wailing grunt, given in a rhythmic series, sometimes for extended periods with short breaks; it is unlike any other bird vocalization in this species’s limited range.
Jerdon's Nightjar
Caprimulgus atripennis
Large-headed nightjar with a bright white throat. Male shows bright white patches near the wingtips and on the edges of the tail that are buffy-brown in females. Large-tailed Nightjar is very similar; in Jerdon’s, look for less-streaked crown and smaller wing patches. Indian Nightjar is smaller and much more intricately patterned, lacking the white throat. Song is a strange bubbling “bwr-wr-wr,” usually heard at dusk or dawn in wooded areas.
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