Collared Sunbird
| Collared Sunbird | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Nectariniidae |
| Genus: | Hedydipna |
| Species: | H. collaris |
| Binomial name | |
| Hedydipna collaris (Vieillot, 1819) |
|
The Collared Sunbird, Hedydipna collaris (formerly placed in the genus Nectarinia), is a sunbird. 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. Collared Sunbird is in fact mainly insectivorous.
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Sunbird 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.
Collared Sunbird is a common breeder across most of sub-Saharan Africa. Two or three eggs are laid in a suspended nest in a tree. It is a seasonal migrant within its range.
Collared Sunbirds are tiny, only 9-10 cm long. They have short thin down-curved bills and brush-tipped tubular tongues, both adaptations to nectar feeding.
The adult male has glossy green upperparts and head with a yellow belly and narrow purple breast band. The female is a duller green above and entirely yellow below.
This species is found in forests near water.
[edit] References
Birds of The Gambia by Barlow, Wacher and Disley, ISBN 1-873403-32-1
