Greater double-collared sunbird
| Greater double-collared sunbird | |
|---|---|
| |
| Male at Greyton, Western Cape | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Nectariniidae |
| Genus: | Cinnyris |
| Species: | C. afer
|
| 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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The greater double-collared sunbird (Cinnyris afer) is a small bird in the sunbird family. It was formerly placed in genus Nectarinia.
Distribution and habitat
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
This sunbird is 14 cm long and exhibits a clear
Behaviour
The sunbird is usually seen singly or in pairs. Its flight is fast and direct on short wings.
Breeding
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
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
The greater double-collared Sunbird makes a shrill whistle and click: wrew wrew wrew ch ch.
References
- 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
- Greater double-collared sunbird - Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds.
- SASOL e-guide