Splendid Sunbird
Cinnyris coccinigastrus
A fairly large, long-billed sunbird in which males and females are very different. Males are dark, with an iridescent multi-colored hood and a black belly. Females have olive-brown upperparts, yellowish underparts with blurry streaking, and a vague pale eye-stripe. Found in lush savanna, gardens, coastal scrub, forest clearings, and forest edge. Male similar to male Superb and Johanna’s Sunbird, but separated by the black rather than red belly. Female similar to female Copper Sunbird, but more streaked below, with a less distinct pale eyebrow. The song is a slow series of several low-pitched whistled notes. The most common call is a repeated scratchy scolding.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Cinnyris coccinigastrus
- Authority
- (Latham, 1801)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Nectariniidae
- Genus
- Cinnyris
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Glistening-green Tanager
Chlorochrysa phoenicotis
Brilliantly-colored tanager of Andean cloud forest in western Ecuador and western Colombia. Male is bright emerald-green with small red and white spots on sides of head. Female and immature are slightly duller and may lack head spots. Usually found in small groups that forage energetically in lower to middle levels of the forest, and often joins mixed-species flocks. Visits feeders in some areas.
Green Malkoha
Ceuthmochares australis
Odd, dark, green-and-gray cuckoo with a bright yellow bill. Found in thick habitats including forest, forest edge, and thickets. Skulks in the thickest parts of the mid-story, especially preferring vine tangles. Call starts with a hesitant series of high “kik” notes, eventually followed by a long, accelerating trill. Dark coloration and yellow bill are distinctive. Range does not overlap with the similar Blue Malkoha.
Copper Pheasant
Syrmaticus soemmerringii
An elegant, long-tailed pheasant with burnished coppery-brown feathers. Rather secretive; occurs mostly in dense cedar and cypress forests near streams. Male has bright red patch of skin around the eye and long banded tail. Female resembles Japanese subspecies of Ring-necked Pheasant but is reddish, with shorter tail, conspicuous white fringing on breast feathers, and less uniform plumage patterns generally. Gives indistinctive, low “ku-ku” calls while foraging. Male makes deep drumming sounds in breeding season during late winter and early spring.
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