Garden sunbird | |
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Adult male and female, Philippines | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Passeriformes |
Family: | Nectariniidae |
Genus: | Cinnyris |
Species: | C. jugularis |
Binomial name | |
Cinnyris jugularis (Linnaeus, 1766) | |
Synonyms | |
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The Olive-Backed Sunbird (Cinnyris jugularis), is a species of passerine bird in the family Nectariniidae that is found from South China across South-East Asia, the Phillipines, Indonesia, North-Eastern Australia and the Solomon Islands. It is a small, brightly coloured bird with olive-green plumage on the wings and back with a bright yellow chest. It has a long downward-curved bill it uses for taking nectar and capturing insects. It is primarily necatarivorous, but will take insects and spiders, particularly when feeding chicks.
In 1760 the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson included a description of the olive-backed sunbird in his Ornithologie based on a specimen collected in the Philippines. He used the French name Le petit grimpereau des Philippines and the Latin Certhia Philippensis Minor. [2] Although Brisson coined Latin names, these do not conform to the binomial system and are not recognised by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature. [3] When in 1766 the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus updated his Systema Naturae for the twelfth edition, he added 240 species that had been previously described by Brisson. [3] One of these was the olive-backed sunbird. Linnaeus included a brief description, coined the binomial name Certhia jugularis and cited Brisson's work. [4] The specific name jugularis is Medieval Latin for 'of the throat'. [5] This species is now placed in the genus Cinnyris that was introduced by the French naturalist Georges Cuvier in 1816. [6] [7]
The olive-backed sunbird formerly included 21 subspecies and had a range that extended from Southeast Asia to Australia. Based on the difference in the male plumage and a genetic study comparing mitochondrial DNA sequences of some of the subspecies, the olive-backed sunbird was split into eight species. [8] [7] The seven new species are: ornate sunbird (Cinnyris ornatus), Palawan sunbird (Cinnyris aurora), Sahul sunbird (Cinnyris frenatus), Tukangbesi sunbird (Cinnyris infrenatus), Flores Sea sunbird (Cinnyris teysmanni), South Moluccan sunbird (Cinnyris clementiae) and Mamberamo sunbird (Cinnyris idenburgi). [7]
Three subspecies are now recognised: [7]
They are small songbirds, 10–11.4 cm (3.9–4.5 in); male 6.7–11.9 g (0.24–0.42 oz), female 6–10 g (0.21–0.35 oz). [9] The male in its nominate (jugularis) form displays an olive hue on its upper body, featuring black wing feathers with green edges and a black tail adorned with white tips. The areas around its eyes (lores), neck, chin, throat, and breast are dark and iridescent, accompanied by yellow pectoral tufts. The lower portion of the bird is dark yellow, sometimes with a brown band encircling the gorget area. The iris is dark brown, while its bill and legs are black. Non-breeding males often have the glossy black coloration limited to the central throat stripe, which may represent juvenile birds transitioning to their adult plumage.
In contrast, the female exhibits an upper body of greenish olive, featuring a pale-yellowish stripe above the eyes ( supercilium ), yellowish borders on its wing feathers, a tail with black and white markings, and a deep yellow color on the lower portion of its body, slightly lighter on the undertail feathers. Juvenile birds resemble the female but tend to be paler and browner in appearance.
The olive-backed sunbird is found in Southern China, across South-East Asia, the Phillipines, Indonesia, Queensland and Northern Australian and the Solomon Islands.
The breeding season depends on latitude and temperature, but is typically in the summer months. In the Northern extent of its range it nests from May to June. In the Southern extent it nests from December to February. The nest is built by both male and female. The male typically departs soon after the nest is complete. The nest takes the form of a hanging oval pouch with a sheltered side opening, often featuring a dangling "beard." It is skillfully crafted using materials such as grass, cotton, moss, lichens, leaf fragments, vegetable fibers, and spider webs, lined with bark or feathers. [9]
The sunbirds are a group of very small Old World passerine birds which feed largely on nectar, although they will also take insects, especially when feeding young. Their flight is fast and direct on their short wings. Most species can take nectar by hovering, but usually perch to feed most of the time.[ citation needed ]
The African grey hornbill is a member of the hornbill family of mainly tropical near-passerine birds found in the Old World. It is a widespread resident breeder in much of sub-Saharan Africa and the southwest of the Arabian Peninsula. The African grey hornbill has escaped or been deliberately released into Florida, USA, but there is no evidence that the population is breeding and may only persist due to continuing releases or escapes.
The purple sunbird is a small bird in the sunbird family found mainly in South and Southeast Asia but extending west into parts of the Arabian peninsula. Like other sunbirds they feed mainly on nectar, although they will also take insects, especially when feeding young. They have a fast and direct flight and can take nectar by hovering like a hummingbird but often perch at the base of flowers. The males can appear all black in harsh sunlight but the purple iridescence is visible on closer observation or under good light conditions. Females are olive above and yellowish below.
Loten's sunbird, also known as the long-billed sunbird or maroon-breasted sunbird, is a sunbird endemic to peninsular India and Sri Lanka. Named after Joan Gideon Loten, who was the Dutch governor of colonial Ceylon, it is very similar to the purple sunbird that is found in the same areas and also tends to hover at flowers for nectar, but can be distinguished by the longer bill, the maroon band on the breast and brownish wings. Like other sunbirds, it is also insectivorous and builds characteristic hanging nests.
The orange-breasted sunbird is a species of small, predominantly nectar-feeding bird that is endemic to the fynbos shrubland biome of southwestern South Africa. It is the only member of the genus Anthobaphes, in the family Nectariniidae, though it is sometimes placed in the genus Nectarinia. The birds are sexually dimorphic, with females being olive green while the males are orange to yellow on the underside with bright green, blue and purple on the head and neck.
The Cape batis is a small, stout insect-eating passerine bird in the wattle-eye family. It is endemic to the Afromontane forests of southern Africa.
The Cape wagtail, also known as Wells's wagtail, is a small insectivorous bird which is widespread in southern Africa. It frequents water's edge, lawns and gardens. It is a mostly resident, territorial species, but has been known to undertake limited altitudinal migration or form flocks outside of the breeding season. Like other wagtails they are passerine birds of the family Motacillidae, which also includes the pipits and longclaws.
The souimanga sunbird is a small passerine bird of the sunbird family, Nectariniidae. It is native to the islands of the western Indian Ocean where it occurs on Madagascar, the Aldabra Group and the Glorioso Islands.
The purple-throated carib is a species of hummingbird in the subfamily Polytminae. It is resident on most of the islands of the Lesser Antilles and has occurred as a vagrant both further north and south.
Bates's sunbird is a species of sunbird in the family Nectariniidae which occurs in Western African forests and Central African rainforests, and locally in other types of forest in Central Africa.
The olive-bellied sunbird is a species of bird in the family Nectariniidae. It is widely spread across African tropical rainforest.
Moreau's sunbird is a species of bird in the family Nectariniidae. It is endemic to Kilolo District of Morogoro Region in Tanzania where its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. It is threatened by habitat loss and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed it as being "near-threatened".
The scarlet-chested sunbird is a species of bird in the family Nectariniidae. It is found in many areas of Sub-Saharan Africa, and from South Sudan to South Africa.
The purple-throated sunbird, is a species of bird in the family Nectariniidae. Its natural habitats are lowland tropical forests and subtropical or tropical mangrove forests of Maratua and the Philippines.
The Tukangbesi sunbird is a species of passerine bird in the sunbird family Nectariniidae that is found on the Tukangbesi Islands that lie to the southeast of Sulawesi in Indonesia. It was formerly considered to be a subspecies of the olive-backed sunbird, now renamed the garden sunbird.
The ornate sunbird is a species of bird in the sunbird family Nectariniidae that is endemic to Mainland Southeast Asia, Sumatra, Java, Borneo and the Lesser Sunda Islands. It was formerly considered to be a subspecies of the olive-backed sunbird, now renamed the garden sunbird.
The Sahul sunbird is a species of bird in the sunbird family Nectariniidae that is endemic to Sulawesi eastwards to New Guinea and the Soloman Islands. It is also found in northeast Australia. It was formerly considered to be a subspecies of the olive-backed sunbird, now renamed the garden sunbird.
The south Moluccan sunbird is a species of bird in the sunbird family Nectariniidae that found on some of the Maluku Islands, between Sulawesi and New Guinea in Indonesia. It was formerly considered to be a subspecies of the olive-backed sunbird, now renamed the garden sunbird.
The Flores Sea sunbird is a species of bird in the sunbird family Nectariniidae that found on several small islands in the Flores Sea. It was formerly considered to be a subspecies of the olive-backed sunbird, now renamed the garden sunbird.
The Mamberamo sunbird or Rand's sunbird, is a species of bird in the sunbird family Nectariniidae that is found in northern New Guinea. It was formerly considered to be a subspecies of the olive-backed sunbird, now renamed the garden sunbird.
The Palawan sunbird is a species of bird in the sunbird family Nectariniidae that is found on the islands of the Palawan group in the Philippines. It was formerly considered to be a subspecies of the olive-backed sunbird, now renamed the garden sunbird.