| Pemba sunbird | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Nectariniidae |
| Genus: | Cinnyris |
| Species: | C. pembae |
| Binomial name | |
| Cinnyris pembae Reichenow, 1905 | |
 | |
| Range in Tanzania | |
| Synonyms | |
Nectarinia pembae | |
The Pemba sunbird (Cinnyris pembae) is a species of bird in the sunbird family. It is endemic to Pemba Island, Tanzania.
Anton Reichenow first described the Pemba sunbird in 1905. [2]
The taxonomy of the Pemba sunbird has been the subject of debate. Pakenham regarded it as a subspecies of the purple-banded sunbird under the name Cinnyris bifasciatus pembae. [3] It is also sometimes regarded as conspecific with the violet-breasted sunbird, Cinnyris chalcomelas, which lives on the mainland in Kenya. [4] Cinnyris pembae is distinguished from these closely related species by being the only purple-banded sunbird on Pemba Island. [5] It is also significantly smaller than its fellow sunbirds. [5] Hermann Grote regarded the Pemba sunbird to be identical in coloration, but about half the size, of Cinnyris voeltzkowi (today recognized as a subspecies of the Malagasy green sunbird, Cinnyris notatus). [6]
Males have a wingspan of 51.5-53 mm, while females have a wingspan of 47.5-50 mm. [7] Adult males display iridescent blue-green coloration on their head and throat with bluish violet coloration on their wings and across their breast. [7] [8] Females have a gray-brown coloration on their head and wings, a pale yellow underside with blurry streaking and a small pale yellow lateral streak posterior to the eye. [7] [8] Juveniles resemble adult females with darker chin and throat, broad whitish malar stripe, and mottled grey underparts. [5]
Pemba sunbirds consume nectar and fruits. They have been observed nesting in Wellingtonia trees and consuming the trees' nectar. [3] Other favored foods include the white berries of Flueggea virosa , into which the Pemba sunbird jabs its beak, while smaller berries are eaten whole. [5]
Breeding takes place throughout the year with a noted lull between the months of January and April, inclusive. [9] Males exhibit aggression to each other during breeding season. [5] Nesting takes place approximately from July through December. [3] Greenish-white eggs with brown streaks are laid in a "bag or purse-shaped nest suspended 1-2 m up from shrub or amongst foliage." [5]
The Pemba sunbird is known for a repetitive tslink-tslink-tslink call which is unlike that of its relatives on the mainland. [10] It can be found in a wide variety of habitats on Pemba Island. [5]
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