From Opus

Male Southern Double-collared Sunbird
Photo by Mybs
Kirstenbosch, near Cape Town, South Africa

Cinnyris chalybeus

Nectarinia chalybea

Lesser Double-collared Sunbird

[edit] Identification

Length 12 cm, mass 8 g. Sexually dimorphic. Male: Head, back, rump, throat and upper breast iridecent green. Wings iridecent green with dark brown flight feathers. Upper tail coverts iridescent blue. Upper breast band very narrow and iridescent blue; lower breast band red. Lower breast and belly grey. Female: Grey-brown, with faint olive wash on mantle and wing coverts, and olive-yellow tinge on belly, flanks and vent. Tail brownish black.

[edit] Distribution

South Africa, Swaziland and extreme southern Namibia.

[edit] Taxonomy

Most of the Sunbirds (including this one) of the genus Nectarinia have recently been moved into the genus Cinnyris.

Recently split from Miombo Double-collared Sunbird Cinnyris manoensis.

There are two subspecies: C. c. chalybeus, extreme southern Namibia south to the south-western Cape, east to the Fish River in the Eastern Cape; C. c. subalaris, from the Fish River north to the Soutpansberg.

Female Southern Double-collared Sunbird.
Photo by Alan Manson
Pietermaritzburg, South Africa

[edit] Habitat

Fynbos and Karoo shrublands, woodland, forest, forest edge, gardens and plantations.

[edit] Behaviour

Forages at all levels in canopy, mainly for nectar, but also invertebrates.

[edit] References

1. Hockey PAR, Dean WRJ & Ryan PG (eds) 2005. Robert's Birds of Southern Africa, 7th edition. Cape Town: John Voelcker Bird Book Fund. ISBN 0620340533

[edit] External Links