Collared sunbird
| Collared sunbird | |
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| male | |
_female.jpg)
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| female both Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda | |
| Scientific classification | |
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| Species: | H. collaris
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| Binomial name | |
| Hedydipna collaris (Vieillot, 1819)
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| Synonyms | |
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Anthreptes collaris | |
The collared sunbird, (Hedydipna collaris), 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.
The 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.
References
- Birds of The Gambia by Barlow, Wacher and Disley, ISBN 1-873403-32-1
External links
- Collared sunbird - Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds.