From Opus

Photo by jtwood
The Gambia, West Africa, April 2006

Cinnyris pulchellus

Nectarinia pulchella

[edit] Identification

10 cm

• Medium-length thin down-curved bills
• Brush-tipped tubular tongues
  

Male

• Irridescent metallic green
• Bright red breast patch bordered laterally by pale lime-green
• 5cm long tail streamers
  

Female

• Greenish-brown above
• Yellowish below

[edit] Distribution

Sub-Saharan Africa:
Western Africa: Mauritania, Senegambia, Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Mali, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Democratic Republic of Congo
Eastern Africa: Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania

[edit] Taxonomy

This is one of the many Sunbirds that have recently been moved to the genus Cinnyris from the genus Nectarinia.

[edit] Subspecies^[1]

There are 2 subspecies:

• C. p. pulchellus (aegra, lucidipectus):

• Senegal to Mali, southern Niger (Aïr Massif ), Uganda and eastern Sudan

• C. p. melanogastrus:

• Eritrea to Ethiopia, north-eastern Zaire, Uganda, Kenya and south-western Tanzania

[edit] Habitat

Open habitats with some trees, including savanna and gardens. 250 to 2000m

[edit] Behaviour

[edit] Diet

The diet includes nectar and insects.

[edit] Breeding

Its nest is suspended in a tree and 1-2 eggs are laid.

[edit] References

1. Clements, JF. 2008. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2008. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist.
2. Avibase
3. Wikipedia
4. BF Member observations

• List of references

[edit] External Links