Female Sunbird, Bhutan (1 Viewer)

[arthurgrosset]

I attach a photo of a female Sunbird taken in early April just below the Kori La Pass in Bhutan at a height of about 2,000 metres.
From the pattern on the wing and the colour of the sides of the tail I assume that it is a female Fire-tailed Sunbird.
Can anyone confirm this?

 

[Hanno]

I am afraid I don't know but it is a very nice photo.

 

[marie b]

I'm wondering about male eclipse Fire-tailed??? There doesn't seem to be any yellow on undersides, which is odd for either female or eclipse male, and there's all that rufous on the wings and tail, which is not right for female but ok for eclipse male. Nice looong bill. Feet seem pinkish, a young one?

Beautiful photo.

Marie, wonderingly :smoke:

 

[arthurgrosset]

I'm wondering about male eclipse Fire-tailed??? There doesn't seem to be any yellow on undersides, which is odd for either female or eclipse male, and there's all that rufous on the wings and tail, which is not right for female but ok for eclipse male. Nice looong bill. Feet seem pinkish, a young one?

Marie, I'm sure from your location that you know more about sunbirds than I do but I wonder if a male, eclipse or otherwise, would be collecting nest material. Being early April, would males still be in exclipse plumage? The date presumably rules out young birds.

 

[marie b]

Marie, .... but I wonder if a male, eclipse or otherwise, would be collecting nest material. Being early April, would males still be in exclipse plumage? The date presumably rules out young birds.

Hello Arthur,
To tell the truth those were my thoughts also. But, to tell more of the truth I thought the overall coloring and markings indicated a species that should be nowhere near Bhutan, namely the adult female Temminck's Sunbird Aethopyga temmincki. so I didn't dare to suggest that. However, spurred on to more careful researching, I noticed in Helm's SUNBIRDS guide that this was formerly "included in A. mystacalis and known as Scarlet Sunbird." And, further, I found that Aethopyga mystacalis Scarlet or Javan Sunbird is included in The Checklist of The Birds of Buthan (sic)...., here
http://www.birdlist.org/buthan.htm

Altitudinally, Helms records occurrence up to 1,985m.

However, the pale areas above and below the eye and into the lores are more in keeping with the illustration (nothing in written description) in Helms guide of Fire-tailed, but everything else more with Temminck's.

You were absolutely correct about the male Fire-tailed not (usually)helping with nest building!!

I hope someone who really knows comes along soon.

Regards,
Marie

 

[rob stoff]

Hello Arthur,
To tell the truth those were my thoughts also. But, to tell more of the truth I thought the overall coloring and markings indicated a species that should be nowhere near Bhutan, namely the adult female Temminck's Sunbird Aethopyga temmincki. so I didn't dare to suggest that. However, spurred on to more careful researching, I noticed in Helm's SUNBIRDS guide that this was formerly "included in A. mystacalis and known as Scarlet Sunbird." And, further, I found that Aethopyga mystacalis Scarlet or Javan Sunbird is included in The Checklist of The Birds of Buthan (sic)...., here
http://www.birdlist.org/buthan.htm

Altitudinally, Helms records occurrence up to 1,985m.

However, the pale areas above and below the eye and into the lores are more in keeping with the illustration (nothing in written description) in Helms guide of Fire-tailed, but everything else more with Temminck's.

You were absolutely correct about the male Fire-tailed not (usually)helping with nest building!!

I hope someone who really knows comes along soon.

Regards,
Marie

as well as misspelling the name of the country the linked checklist contains masses of incredible errors, including several species that do not even occur in Asia!

can't help with the id i'm afraid

Rob

 

[marie b]

as well as misspelling the name of the country the linked checklist contains masses of incredible errors, including several species that do not even occur in Asia!

can't help with the id i'm afraid

Rob

Ahhh.... yeeess... thanks Rob. Am finding better lists, no time to do much tho', in the midst of moving house :h?: