UAE Mystery Sunbird - Now with added pictures ! (1 Viewer)

Hi all -

Sorry to harp on about this, but this one is going to bug me forever.

You're going to have use some faith and some imagination. The sunbird was mixed in with a bunch of Purple Sunbirds in winter plumage. It was significantly smaller. To the best of my knowledge, it was NOT a Purple Sunbird.

It did have sunbird characteristics - long curved bill, similar (although less frenetic) feeding activity. It has noticeably rusty colouring on it - colouring similar to a Varied Thrush, although less dark.

The pictures are SO BAD, you are REALLY going to have to search for the bird !! I promise you, it is in there. You can see the colouration though - there is no rusty-colouring on a Purple Sunbird. If its not a sunbird - what on earth is it ?

This one is going to bug me forever - any thoughts ?

65 people viewed with NO responses ? I'm resorting to replying to my own thread to get it to the top of the list !

Working on it.... :hi: :smoke::-C:h?::gn:

I'm heading over there shortly so I have doing a bit of reading up - purple is the default sunbird, any others would be vagrants (or escapes??)

Males have do have an 'eclipse' plumage between Sep-Dec, where they become yellow underneath with a black throat/central breast stripe (which if I'm reading your photo's right I think it shows). If it's orangey it's maybe just a brighter individual than usual (though don't know enough about sunbirds to say how variable they are).

Cheers,
Andrew

Hi Andrew -

Thanks for having a punt at it !!

There were two noticeable points to this bird:
1. It had distinctly orangey plumage, with a black gorget like the Purples
2. It was noticeably smaller, and fed less frenetically - different behaviour

I am convinced it wasn't a purple. I'd be content to call it an escape, although it wasn't tame at all, no leg ring etc.

Any guesses gratefully received...

Also - if you are heading over there, I can recommend:
1. Safa Park - where this little blighter was hiding out, near a little hill (the only one) thickly wooded
2. Emirates Golf Course - plenty around including G-G Shrike, waders, egrets etc.

Safa Park is women/children only on Tuesdays, and costs about 50p to get in. There is also Ras al Khor which apparently has Leica bins and scope in each hide (try THAT in the UK !!) but shuts at 4pm.

Cheers -



Wilts_Birder

Just doublehecked the UAE birding website, maintained by Tommy Pederson the Recorder and purple is only sunbird on the UAE list - no others mentioned even in the escapes section.

Cheers,
Andrew

Yep - I emailed Tommy too, but no response yet.

The trouble is, I saw the little blighter. I've been a birder for 30 years and birded all over the world - US, Africa, Australia, Middle East, Europe. You know that feeling when you see something that is simply different....??

Going to try to get hold of the "Sunbirds" Helm guide and leaf through.

Cheers -
Wilts_Birder.

I can see that everyone else is at the same stage....'eclipse plumage something'would have been all I could offer last night and my Helm guide is in a packing box somewhere -- will try to lay hands on it today.

Marie