Lina's sunbird | |
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Male | |
Female | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Passeriformes |
Family: | Nectariniidae |
Genus: | Aethopyga |
Species: | A. linaraborae |
Binomial name | |
Aethopyga linaraborae | |
Lina's sunbird (Aethopyga linaraborae) is a species of bird in the family Nectariniidae It is endemic to mountains in the island of Mindanao in the Philippines. It is one of the most striking sunbirds in the country with the male having an iridescent blue color and an orange spot on its yellow breast. It is named after Dioscoro S. Rabor's wife, Lina who would assist Dioscoro on expeditions. [2] Its natural habitat is tropical moist montane forest above 1000m. It is threatened by habitat loss.
EBird describes the bird as "A small, localized bird of montane forest in eastern Mindanao. Has a long, curved bill, an olive back, an orange mark in the middle of the chest and a bluish tail with white tips. Male has an iridescent blue crown, cheek, and wing, a green shoulder and rump, yellow underparts, and a small orange patch in front of the shoulder. Female has faint streaking on the underparts, a gray head, and golden-olive wings. Similar to Metallic-winged sunbird, but male has a blue wing and female a gray head. Voice includes a high-pitched jumbled song, a series of sharp 'chik!' notes, and an upslurred high-pitched whistle." [3]
This species was formerly conspecific with the Apo sunbird but was split by Robert Kennedy, Pedro Gonzales and Hector Miranda in 1997. They decided to name this species after Lina Rabor whose husband is Dioscoro Rabor who is known for as the "Father of Philippine Biology and Conservation" and described 69 bird species
This species has not yet been comprehensively studied. It is pressumed to have a typical sunbird diet of primarily nectar and supplemented with the occasional insect.
Males in breeding condition with enlarged testes have been collected n May but this is not yet fully understood. [4]
It occupies montane mossy forest from 970 to 2,000 m and above in the mountains of Eastern Mindanao.
IUCN has assessed this bird as near threatened making it the only Philippine sunbird that is not assesed as least concern as it r. It is restricted toDespite its limited range, it is said to be locally common in its range. As it occurs in rugged and inaccessible mountains, this has allowed a large portion of its habitat to remain intact. However, there it is still affected by habitat loss through deforestation, mining, land conversion and slash-and-burn - just not to the same extent as lowland forest. Mt. Tagubud in New Bataan, where it is mainly seen by birdwatchers, has faced considerable deforestation.
The handsome sunbird is a species of bird in the family Nectariniidae. It is endemic to the Philippines.
The Apo sunbird is a species of bird in the sunbird family Nectariniidae. It is endemic to the island of Mindanao in the Philippines.It is found in tropical moist montane forests above 1,500 meters above sea level.
The flaming sunbird is a species of bird in the family Nectariniidae. It is endemic to the northern Philippines found on the islands of Luzon and Catanduanes. Its natural habitat is tropical moist lowland forests. It was formerly conspecific with the Maroon-naped sunbird.
The grey-hooded sunbird is a species of bird in the family Nectariniidae. It is endemic to the Philippines found only in the moist montane forests of Mindanao. It is one of the three montane Mindanao endemic sunbirds along with the Lina's sunbird and the Apo sunbird.
The metallic-winged sunbird is a species of bird in the family Nectariniidae. It is endemic to the Philippines.
The lovely sunbird is a bird species in the family Nectariniidae. It is endemic to the Philippines. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and tropical moist montane forests.
The bicolored flowerpecker is a species of bird in the family Dicaeidae. It is endemic to the Philippines.
The mountain shrike or grey-capped shrike, is a species of bird in the family Laniidae. It is endemic to the Philippines found on the islands of Luzon, Mindoro and Mindanao. Its habitat are tropical montane secondary forest, forest edge and grassland above 1,200 meters above sea level.
The Mindanao white-eye, also known as the black-masked white-eye, is a species of bird in the family Zosteropidae. The specific epithet honours British zoological collector Walter Goodfellow. It is endemic to the Philippines. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forest.
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 sulphur-billed nuthatch is a species of bird in the family Sittidae. It is endemic to the Philippines. Its natural habitats are tropical moist lowland forest and tropical moist montane forest. It is commonly found in mixed flocks along with Blue-headed fantails, sunbirds, flowerpeckers and other small forest birds.
The rusty-crowned babbler is a species of bird in the family Zosteropidae. It is native to the southern Philippines on the islands of Mindanao and Dinagat Islands and Basilan. Its natural habitat is tropical moist lowland forest.
The grey-throated sunbird is a species of bird in the family Nectariniidae. It is found in a wide range of semi-open wooded habitats in the northern and eastern part of the Philippines. It is often considered a subspecies of the brown-throated sunbird, but the two differ consistently in measurements and plumage, and there is no evidence of intergradation between them.
Dioscoro Siarot Rabor, also known as Joe Rabor, was a Filipino ornithologist, zoologist, and conservationist. Known as the "Father of Philippine Wildlife Conservation", he led more than 50 wildlife expeditions in the Philippines, authored 87 scientific papers and articles, and described 69 new bird taxa and numerous mammal species.
The Cebu boobook or Cebu hawk-owl is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is endemic to the Philippines. It was formerly considered a subspecies of the Philippine hawk-owl, but was reclassified in 2012, as voice and other data suggested placement in a distinct species.
The maroon-naped sunbird is a species of bird in the family Nectariniidae. It is endemic to the Philippines found on the islands of Negros Island, Panay and Guimaras. Its natural habitat is tropical moist lowland forests.
The Tboli sunbird is a subspecies of bird in the sunbird family Nectariniidae. It is endemic to the Philippines found only in the mountains of south Mindanao. Its natural habitat is tropical moist montane forest starting from 800 meters above sea level. This subspecies is recognized as a distinct species by The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World.
The flame-crowned flowerpecker is a species of bird in the family Dicaeidae. It is endemic to Mindanao in the Philippines. The yellow-crowned flowerpecker, which is endemic to Luzon, was formerly considered conspecific.
The Mindanao serin is a species of finch in the family Fringillidae.
The Philippine shortwing is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae. It is endemic to the Philippines where it favours montane forest. It was once conspecific with the White-browed Shortwing.
Lina N. Florendo Rabor accompanied her husband, the preeminent Philippine ornithologist Dioscoro S. Rabor, on more than 40 scientific expeditions throughout the Philippines from 1936 to 1975 and contributed to some 80 papers and books published by Dr. Rabor and his colleagues. Throughout this extraordinary effort she remained a silent partner. We are pleased to name this new and beautiful sunbird after this remarkable person