Variable Sunbird - BirdForum Opus

Alternative name: Yellow-bellied Sunbird

Cinnyris venustus

Nectarinia venusta

Male (left), female (right)
Photos by Charlie M
Nairobi, Kenya, April 2005

Identification

10cm

• Thin down-curved bill
• Brush-tipped tubular tongue
  

Male, eclipse plumage
Photo by eliasbayou
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, May 2010

Male

• Glossy green head, throat and nape
• Maroon breast band
• Yellow belly
  

Female

• Grey-brown upperparts
• Yellowish underparts
• Pale supercilium
  

Eclipse male similar to female but has some green on the throat

Distribution

Africa
Western Africa: Senegambia, Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Mali, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, DRC, Angola
Eastern Africa: Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Zambia, Mozambique, Malawi
Southern Africa: Namibia, Zimbabwe, South Africa

Taxonomy

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

Subspecies^[1]

There are 5 subspecies:

• C. v. venustus:

• Senegal to northern Cameroon and Ubangi-Shari

• C. v. falkensteini:

• Gabon to northern Angola, eastern Zaire, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe

• C. v. igneiventris:

• Highlands of extreme eastern Zaire, Rwanda and western Uganda

• C. v. fazoqlensis:

• East-central Sudan to Eritrea, Ethiopia and north-western Kenya

• C. v. albiventris:

• Southern Ethiopia to Somalia and northern Kenya

Habitat

Dry forest, forest edges, savanna, wood and bushland, suburban gardens and cultivated areas

Behaviour

Breeding

The nest is suspended in a tree. The clutch consists of 2 eggs.

Diet

The diet includes nectar.

Vocalisation

Call: a clear tew-tew-tew-tew-tew.

References

1. Clements, JF. 2009. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2009. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
2. Avibase
3. Wikipedia
4. BF Member observations

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2021) Variable Sunbird. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 29 April 2021 from https://www.birdforum.net/wiki/Variable_Sunbird

External Links

Search for photos of Variable Sunbird in the gallery