Purple Sunbird….an insight

The above picture of the beautiful Sunbird I clicked at Buxar in Bihar,India.

The purple sunbird (Cinnyris asiaticus) is a small bird feeding mainly on nectar,although they will also take insects, especially when feeding young. They have a fast and direct flight and can take nectar by hovering like a hummingbird but often perch at the base of flowers. The males appear all black except in some lighting when the purple iridescence becomes visible. Females are olive above and yellowish below.

Description

They have a relatively short bill, a dark and short square ended tail with distinctive sexual dimorphism.The breeding male has the underparts also of the same purplish black, but non-breeding males may show a central streak of black on yellow underparts.

Females are mostly olive brown above with yellowish underside. There is a pale supercilium beyond the eye and there is a darkish eye stripe.The throat and breast are yellow becoming pale towards the vent.

Distribution

This beautiful click I took at Daltonganj in Jharkhand,India.

The different Sunbird species are distributed widely from West Asia through the Indian subcontinent and into Southeast Asia. They are resident birds in most parts of their range and do not move large distances. They are found both in thin forests and in dense urban areas even.

Compiled from different sources for building my own knowledge base as well for general interest of my Bird lover photography/Blogging lover friends Globally.

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