Alternative name: Kenya Violet-backed Sunbird
- Anthreptes orientalis
Identification
12 cm; a short-billed sunbird
- Bluish-violet head, nape and chin
- Bluish-green back and rump
Distribution
Eastern Africa: found in Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1].
Subspecies neumanni is not generally recognised[2].
Habitat
Semi-arid acacia bush and gardens.
Behaviour
Diet
Their diet consists of spiders, insects and nectar. A series of images showing how they collect nectar is shown in this thread.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, B.L. Sullivan, C. L. Wood, and D. Roberson. 2013. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: Version 6.8., with updates to August 2013. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Avibase
- BF Member observations
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved August 2014)
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Eastern Violet-backed Sunbird. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 17 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Eastern_Violet-backed_Sunbird
