Black-bellied Sunbird - BirdForum Opus

Male, non-breeding
Photo by Glen Tepke
Samburu National Reserve, Kenya, June 2009

Cinnyris nectarinioides

Nectarinia nectarinioides

Identification

Smallest sunbird.
Black, iridescent green neck, long down curved bill, black eye, legs and feet.

Distribution

Eastern Africa: found in Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya and Tanzania.

Female or Immature
Photo by Glen Tepke
Samburu National Reserve, Kenya, June 2009

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 2 subspecies:

• C. n. erlangeri:

• Savanna of south-eastern Ethiopia to southern Somalia and extreme north-eastern Kenya

• C. n. nectarinioides:

• Lowlands of interior northern Kenya to extreme north-eastern Tanzania

Habitat

Savanna, riparian woodland in semi-arid scrub.

Behaviour

Diet

The diet includes nectar.

Breeding

Nest is purse-shaped, suspended and built by the female, who also incubates the clutch of 1-3 eggs alone. The male helps with rearing the young.

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. Answers.com

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Black-bellied Sunbird. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 19 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Black-bellied_Sunbird

External Links

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