The greater double-collared sunbird (Cinnyris afer) is a small bird in the sunbird family. It was formerly placed in genus Nectarinia.
| Greater double-collared sunbird | |
|---|---|
| |
| Male at Greyton, Western Cape | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Nectariniidae |
| Genus: | Cinnyris |
| Species: | C. afer
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| Binomial name | |
| Cinnyris afer (Linnaeus, 1766)
| |
| |
| range[1] strongholds, occurring year-round lower density, passage or vagrancy
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| Synonyms | |
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Distribution and habitat edit
The sunbird breeds in southern South Africa. It is mainly resident, but partly migratory in the northeast of its range. It is common in gardens, fynbos, forest edges and coastal scrub.
Description edit
This sunbird is 14 cm long and exhibits a clear sexual dimorphism. The adult male has a glossy, metallic green head, throat upper breast and back. It has a broad brilliant red band across the chest, separated from the green breast by a narrow metallic blue band. The rest of the underparts are pale grey. When displaying, yellow feather tufts can be seen on the shoulders. The plumage on the female is pale grey, darker in the wings. As with other sunbirds the bill is long and decurved. The bill, legs and feet are black. The eye is dark brown. The male can be distinguished from the similar lesser double-collared sunbird by the latter's smaller size, narrower red chest band and shorter bill. The call is a hard chut-chut-chut, and the song is a high pitched jumble of tweets and twitters, richer than the calls of the lesser double-collared sunbird.
Behaviour edit
The sunbird is usually seen singly or in pairs. Its flight is fast and direct on short wings.
Breeding edit
The sunbird breeds all year round, with a peak from July to November. The closed oval nest is constructed from grass, lichen and other plant material, bound together with spider webs. It has a side entrance which sometimes has a porch, and is lined with feathers.
Feeding edit
It lives mainly on nectar from flowers, but takes some fruit, and, especially when feeding young, insects and spiders. It has the habit of hovering in front of webs to extract spiders. It can hover like a hummingbird to take nectar, but usually perches to do so.
Call edit
The greater double-collared Sunbird makes a shrill whistle and click: wrew wrew wrew ch ch.
References edit
- ^ Harrison, J. A., ed. (1997). The Atlas of Southern African birds: Vol.2 Passerines (PDF). Johannesburg: BirdLife South Africa. pp. 504–505. ISBN 0-620-20730-2. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- Sinclair, Hockey and Tarboton, SASOL Birds of Southern Africa, ISBN 1-86872-721-1
External links edit
- Greater double-collared sunbird - Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds.
- SASOL e-guide