Souimanga bronzé

Identification

Bronzy sunbirds have a long, thin, well-curved bill. Males have bronze-and-green undertones but most often look black in light. While the male has the undertones, the female however has a pale eyebrow and an added yellowish park below the belly with fine streaking. On some subspecies specifically located in Angola there is a splash of odd green, but it does not overlap in range with malachite or scarlet-tufted sunbirds in similar areas which do not have this green streaking. Male sunbirds lack any purple tones to the plumage which is found on female species.<p>Bronzy sunbirds use a jumble of twittering notes followed by cleaner whistle sounds. These sounds are most often heard during the early morning and mid day.

Taxonomie

Nom scientifique

Nectarinia kilimensis

Autorité

Shelley, 1885

Ordre

Passériformes

Famille

Nectariniidés

Genre

Nectarinia

Répartition et habitat

The bronzy sunbird can be found in Africa. While not very common they can be best found near the edges of the Afromontane forest, mountain sides and Zimbabwe's eastern highlands and adjacent next to Mozambique. Other countries they can be found include Angola, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. They stay far away from populated areas in these countries and have adapted to most remote environments. These environments include Savannas, dried shrub-land, grass, seasonally flooded areas, and rural gardens. They are most abundant in subtropical forests and brush-land.

Migration

Resident species

Comportement

The diet of the bronzy sunbird is very specific limited to Nectar, Spiders and Insects. The insects that they consume include Ants, Coleoptera (beetles), Hemiptera (bugs), Hymenoptera (wasps, bees and ants), Diptera (flies), and termites.<p>During the breeding process the male role is very limited. After conception the male often leaves. The female assumes most of the responsibility and lays its eggs anytime from September to May but the peak of egg laying is between the months of October to December. They often lay 1 to 2 eggs and after the eggs have hatched the new chicks are fed and brooded mainly by the female for a period of 16 to 21 days. After that period they continue to return to the nest for about a week longer, becoming fully independent about 2–3 weeks later. The nests that these chicks live in over this period of time are built by the female only and it takes her anywhere between 5 and 15 days before the chicks are born. The basket is made as an oval structure. They use pieces of ferns, bits of dry grass, shreds of bark, bracken, leaves, lichen and inflorescences, often secured down with spider web. The entrance to this nest is covered down by a small flap, and the interior is made of fine grass and plants. It is attached at the roof to a branch within a small patch of bushes or of a type of sap.

Conservation

Tendance de la population

stable