Humblot's sunbird

Last updated

Humblot's sunbird
Humblot's sunbird.jpg
Galawa Beach Hotel, Comoros
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Nectariniidae
Genus: Cinnyris
Species:
C. humbloti
Binomial name
Cinnyris humbloti
Synonyms

Nectarinia humbloti

Humblot's sunbird (Cinnyris humbloti) is a species of bird in the family Nectariniidae. It is endemic to the islands of Grand Comoro and Mohéli in the Comoros.

Contents

Description

The adult male Humblot's sunbird has green upperparts with a dark or gold gloss. In the nominate subspecies the throat and upper breast are glossy green with a red lower breast, in the subspecies from Mohéli the upperparts are duller and the throat and upper breast are glossed with purple. It has yellow pectoral tufts and the lower breast and belly are yellowish green. The adult female is olive green above, greyer on the head with a brighter rump and greyer underparts with dark spots and streaks, has a white tip to the tail and pectoral tufts. [2] They are 11 centimetres (4.3 in) in length and the male weights 5.5–7 grams (0.19–0.25 oz), the female 5.5–8 grams (0.19–0.28 oz). [3]

Voice

The song of Humblot's sunbird consists of a series of chipping notes, which are mixed up. Alarm and contact calls are a harsh scolding “tssk, tssk”. [3]

Distribution and habitat

Humblot's sunbird is endemic to Grand Comoro and Moheli in the Comoros. [1] It is found in forest, gardens and scrub from sea level to 790 metres (2,590 ft) above sea level. [2]

Habits

Humblot's sunbird feeds by gleaning and hover gleaning insects from the leaf tips of the fronds of the coconut palm. It is known to sip nectar from Cocos nucifera , Cussonia spp, Eucalyptus and Impatiens spp. The nest is made of fine grass, covered with moss and lined with milkweed strands and attached to with moss to a branch. Laying is in August and September. [2]

Subspecies

There are two subspecies: [3]

Etymology

The scientific name commemorates the French naturalist Léon Humblot. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olive-backed sunbird</span> Species of bird

The olive-backed sunbird, also known as the garden sunbird, is a species of sunbird endemic to the Philippines except the Palawan island group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loten's sunbird</span> Species of bird

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Variable sunbird</span> Species of bird

The variable sunbird or yellow-bellied sunbird, formerly Nectarinia venusta, is a sunbird. The sunbirds are a group of small Old World passerine birds which feed largely on nectar, although they will also take insects, especially when feeding young. Flight is fast and direct on their short wings. Most species can take nectar by hovering like a hummingbird, but usually perch to feed most of the time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-throated mountaingem</span> Species of hummingbird

The white-throated mountaingem or white-throated mountain-gem is a species of hummingbird in tribe Lampornithini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is endemic to the highlands of Costa Rica and Panama.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seychelles sunbird</span> Species of bird

The Seychelles sunbird is a small passerine from the sunbird family. It is named after the French explorer Jean-Jacques Dussumier. It is native to the Seychelles, where it is known as kolibri in Seychellois Creole. This bird is placed in the genus Cinnyris by some authorities and in Nectarinia by others. Although this bird has a limited range, it is described as common and has a stable population, so the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being of "least concern".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern double-collared sunbird</span> Species of bird

The southern double-collared sunbird or lesser double-collared sunbird is a small passerine bird which breeds in southern Africa. It is mainly resident, but partially migratory in the north-east of its range.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rwenzori double-collared sunbird</span> Species of bird

The Rwenzori double-collared sunbird, also called Stuhlmann's sunbird or the Rwanda double-collared sunbird, is a species of bird in the family Nectariniidae. It is found in the Ruwenzori range of mountains in south central Africa. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests. It is threatened by habitat loss. It is sometimes considered to be a subspecies of the greater double-collared sunbird. Some authors consider this bird to be part of a species complex with Cinnyris afer, where it joins Ludwig's double-collared sunbird and Prigogine's double-collared sunbird. As with other closely related species, each inhabiting different locations, there are subtle similarities and differences between the local populations, and their taxonomic treatment depends on the views of the taxonomist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Souimanga sunbird</span> Species of bird

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bicolored flowerpecker</span> Species of bird

The bicolored flowerpecker is a species of bird in the family Dicaeidae. It is endemic to the Philippines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black-sided flowerpecker</span> Species of bird

The black-sided flowerpecker, also known as the Bornean flowerpecker, is a species of bird in the family Dicaeidae. It is endemic to the island of Borneo, where it is found in the mountains, primarily above 1,000 m (3,300 ft) in elevation. The species is sexually dimorphic. The male has glossy blue-black upperparts, with a scarlet throat and breast, a dark grey upper belly, olive flanks, a white lower belly, and a buffy vent and undertail coverts. The female is olive-green above and greyish below, with buffy flanks and a whitish throat. It inhabits a range of forest habitats, including primary and secondary montane forest, kerangas forest, and scrub, and is also occasionally found in gardens. It feeds primarily on small fruits—particularly mistletoe berries—as well as seeds, nectar, and various invertebrates. It builds a nest of moss, camouflaged on the outside with lichens and lined with the pith of tree ferns. The International Union for Conservation of Nature rates it as a species of least concern. Though its numbers have not been quantified, the black-sided flowerpecker is said to be common throughout much of its range, and any declines are not thought to be precipitous. However, destruction of forest for palm plantations may impact it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bates's sunbird</span> Species of bird

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olive-bellied sunbird</span> Species of bird

The olive-bellied sunbird is a species of bird in the family Nectariniidae. It is widely spread across African tropical rainforest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tiny sunbird</span> Species of bird

The tiny sunbird is a species of bird in the family Nectariniidae. It is sparsely distributed across the African tropical rainforest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern double-collared sunbird</span> Species of bird

The northern double-collared sunbird, is a species of bird in the family Nectariniidae. It is found in Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Sudan, and Uganda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Comoro thrush</span> Species of bird

The Comoro thrush is a species of bird in the family Turdidae. It is found in the Comoros Islands in the south western Indian Ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ludwig's double-collared sunbird</span> Species of bird

Ludwig's double-collared sunbird or the montane double-collared sunbird, is a small passerine bird which breeds in forested mountains above 1,800 m (5,900 ft) in western Angola as well as the Nyika Plateau of northern Malawi and northeastern Zambia. This bird is sometimes considered to be con-specific with the greater double-collared sunbird. It is sometimes placed in the genus Nectarinia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tsavo sunbird</span> Species of bird

The Tsavo sunbird is a small passerine bird of Kenya and Tanzania. It is sometimes lumped with the purple-banded sunbird.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vigors's sunbird</span> Species of bird

Vigors's sunbird, Sahyadri sunbird, or western crimson sunbird, is a species of sunbird which is endemic to the Western Ghats of India. It has been considered as a subspecies of the crimson sunbird but it does not have the central tail as elongated and is restricted in its distribution.

References

  1. 1 2 BirdLife International (2016). "Cinnyris humbloti". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T22717813A94553492. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22717813A94553492.en . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 Robert A. Cheke; Clive F. Mann; Richard Allen (2001). Sunbirds. Pica Press. pp. 328–329. ISBN   1-873403-80-1.
  3. 1 2 3 "Humblot's Sunbird (Cinnyris humbloti)". HBW Alive. Lynx Edicions. Retrieved 2016-11-19.
  4. Jobling, James A. (2010). Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. ISBN   978-1-4081-2501-4.