A sunbird in Singapore (1 Viewer)

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DarrenLi

Member

• Oct 31, 2014

• #1

I spotted this sunbird in Singapore zoo on Sept.30, Could you help identify it? Thanks a lot.

 

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Gretchen

Well-known member

• Nov 1, 2014

• #2

Possibly a Crimson Sunbird - female? Sorry, haven't looked at S'pore list, but looks somewhat like this one.

PS Purple-throated would be another southerly species with plain markings, but I think it seems like it has a lighter breast than the picture posted here.

 

Last edited: Nov 1, 2014

D

DarrenLi

Member

• Nov 1, 2014

• #3

Thank you Gretchen, it also looks like a Crimson Sunbird to me.

Here is a list of sunbirds of S'pore from wikipedia, both Purple-throated and Crimson are "Common".

Crimson sunbird (Aethopyga siparaja) - C/RB - parks, forests
Brown-throated sunbird (Anthreptes malacensis) - C/RB - parks
Plain sunbird (Anthreptes simplex) - VR/R - CCNR
Olive-backed sunbird (Cinnyris jugularis) - C/RB - parks
Copper-throated sunbird (Leptocoma calcostetha) - U/RB - BBNP, SBWR, P. Ubin
Purple-throated sunbird (Leptocoma sperata) - C/RB - BBNP, BTNR, CCNR, P. Ubin
Yellow-eared spiderhunter (Arachnothera chrysogenys) - VR/R - BTNR, CCNR, P. Tekong, P. Ubin
Thick-billed spiderhunter (Arachnothera crassirostris) - VR/R - BTNR, CCNR
Little spiderhunter (Arachnothera longirostra) - U/RB - BTNR, CCNR, P. Ubin

 

G

Gretchen

Well-known member

• Nov 1, 2014

• #4

Darren,

It would be good to get another person's view on this as I'm not any kind of expert and these female sunbirds are a bit tricky for me.

By the way, I forgot to say earlier: welcome to the forum! Nice to have you posting.

 

D

DarrenLi

Member

• Nov 1, 2014

• #5

Thank you! I'm sure I can learn a lot from the forums.

 

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leekc

Well-known member

• Nov 1, 2014

• #6

It looks like the Olive-backed Sunbird, female. It is pretty common in Singapore.

 

viator

Well-known member

• Nov 1, 2014

• #7

leekc said:

It looks like the Olive-backed Sunbird, female. It is pretty common in Singapore.

Click to expand...

Agree. Purple-throated (Van Hasselt's) most common on Ubin and not the zoo! Crimson common there but don't see this being one. All females tricky...

 

J

jiaolang

Well-known member

• Nov 1, 2014

• #8

This cannot be a female Olive-backed Sunbird, which has a clear demarcation between the olive upperparts and yellow underparts.

The overall dark colour and sign of dark malar stripe puts this as female Crimson Sunbird, not Purple-backed Sunbird.

 

Avian Seeker

Well-known member

• Nov 1, 2014

• #9

Definitely not an Olive-backed. The Olive-backed, aka Yellow-bellied Sunbird, has a very yellow belly. Cannot see much yellow on this bird's belly.

Should be a female Crimson.

 

D

DarrenLi

Member

• Nov 5, 2014

• #10

Thanks everybody for your help!