- Cinnyris asiaticus
Nectarinia asiatica
Identification
10–11 cm (4-4¼ in) long.
The bill is thin and curved downwards. Their tongues are tubular and brush tipped.
Adult breeding male: Mainly glossy purple.
Adult male, eclipse plumage: Yellow-grey upperparts and a yellow breast with a blue central streak extending to the belly.
Female: Yellow-grey upperparts and yellowish under parts, and a faint supercilium.
Distribution
Asia from the Persian Gulf to Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan tropical Africa.
Taxonomy
This is one of the many Sunbirds that have recently been moved to the genus Cinnyris from the genus Nectarinia.
Subspecies
There are 3 subspecies[1]:
- C. a. brevirostris:
- North-eastern Arabia and south-eastern Iran to Afghanistan, Pakistan and northern India
- C. a. asiaticus:
- C. a. intermedius:
- Bangladesh to Assam, Burma, Thailand and Indochina
Habitat
Forest and cultivation.
Behaviour
Diet
Their main source of food is nectar, though they also eat insects, spiders and fruit, particularly mistletoes and grapes.
Breeding
They build a suspended nest in a tree laying 1-3 eggs.
Flight
Flight is fast and direct. They can take nectar whilst hovering, but more usually perch to feed.
Vocalisation
The call is a humming zit zit.
A complex series of calls forms a song, as heard in the clip below.
Listen in an external program
Listen in an external program
Recording by Alok Tewari
Faridabad, Haryana, India, Aug.-2016
Recorded in an urban garden.
Gallery
Click images to see larger version
Juvenile
Photo © by Shantilal Varu
Bhavnagar, Gujarat, India, July 2018
Male, subspecies intermedius
Photo © by robby thai
Nam Tok Mae Surin NP, Thailand, February 2017
Immature
Photo © by Alok Tewari
Faridabad, Haryana, India, May 2016
Male : Eclipse transitioning to breeding plumage
Photo © by Alok Tewari
Keoladeo National Park, India, December 2016
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2018. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2018. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Trek Nature
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved Nov 2017)
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2021) Purple Sunbird. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 21 January 2021 from https://www.birdforum.net/wiki/Purple_Sunbird
External Links
