Greater Double-collared Sunbird

Cinnyris afer

Upland forest fringes. Similar to Southern Double-collared Sunbird (below), but bill longer than head.

Sunbirds

Endemic

Description

Uncommon, localised resident. A small, warbler-like sunbird with a short bill. Male identified by dark blue throat and forehead; cf. immature White-bellied Sunbird. Female resembles a white-eye, but has a slightly longer, slightly decurved bill and no white eye-rings. Both sexes have dull olive-green upper parts. Call is ‘tik-tik’, song an accelerating series of notes, repeated three or four times at increasingly higher pitch. Pairs frequent coastal, montane and riverine forest, feeding unobtrusively in both the upper and lower strata.

Quick Facts

Bird Family

Small, insectivorous and nectar-drinking birds with decurved bills adapted to flower-probing. Males have iridescent plumage and yellow, orange or red tufts on the sides of the breast (pectoral tufts) that are displayed in excitement. Some males undergo an annual eclipse when they adopt drab, non-breeding plumage resembling the normal plumage of the female. Immatures are like females, often with a dark throat. Their flight is swift and erratic, males spending much time chasing females and other males. They gather in numbers when favoured nectar-rich plants are in blossom.