Sunbird
Sunbirds and spiderhunters | |
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Male Vigors's sunbird from Maharashtra, India | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Passeriformes |
Superfamily: | Passeroidea |
Family: | Nectariniidae Vigors, 1825 |
Genera | |
16, see text |
Sunbirds and spiderhunters make up the family Nectariniidae of passerine birds. They are small, slender passerines from the Old World, usually with downward-curved bills. Many are brightly coloured, often with iridescent feathers, particularly in the males. Many species also have especially long tail feathers. Their range extends through most of Africa to the Middle East, South Asia, South-east Asia and southern China, to Indonesia, New Guinea and northern Australia. Species diversity is highest in equatorial regions.
There are
The sunbirds have counterparts in two very distantly related groups: the hummingbirds of the Americas and the honeyeaters of Australia. The resemblances are due to convergent evolution brought about by a similar nectar-feeding lifestyle.[2] Some sunbird species can take nectar by hovering like a hummingbird, but they usually perch to feed.
Description
In metabolic behaviour similar to that of Andes hummingbirds,[5] species of sunbirds that live at high altitudes or latitudes will enter torpor while roosting at night, lowering their body temperature and entering a state of low activity and responsiveness.[3][6]
The moulting regimes of sunbirds are complex, being different in different species. Many species have no eclipse plumage, but do have juvenile plumage. Some species do show duller plumage in the off-season. In the dry months of June−August, male copper sunbirds and variable sunbirds lose much of their metallic sheen. In some instances different populations of the same species can display variation in different molting regimes.[3]
Distribution and habitat
Sunbirds are a tropical Old World family, with representatives in Africa, Asia and Australasia. In Africa they are found mostly in sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar but are also distributed in Egypt. In Asia the group occurs along the coasts of the Red Sea as far north as Israel, and along the Mediterranean as far north as Beirut, with a gap in their distribution across inland Syria and Iraq, and resuming in Iran, from where the group occurs continuously as far as southern China and Indonesia. In Australasia the family occurs in New Guinea, north eastern Australia and the Solomon Islands. They are generally not found on oceanic islands, with the exception of the Seychelles. The greatest variety of species is found in Africa, where the group probably arose. Most species are sedentary or short-distance seasonal migrants. Sunbirds occur over the entire family's range, whereas the spiderhunters are restricted to Asia.[3]
The sunbirds and spiderhunters occupy a wide range of habitats, with a majority of species being found in primary rainforest, but other habitats used by the family including disturbed secondary forest, open woodland, open scrub and savannah, coastal scrub and alpine forest. Some species have readily adapted to human modified landscapes such as plantations, gardens and agricultural land. Many species are able to occupy a wide range of habitats from sea level to 4900 m.[3]
Behaviour and ecology
Sunbird are active
Breeding
Sunbirds that breed outside of the equatorial regions are mostly seasonal breeders, with the majority of them breeding in the
Pollination
As nectar is a primary food source for sunbirds, they are important pollinators in African ecosystems. Sunbird-pollinated flowers are typically long, tubular, and red-to-orange in colour, showing convergent evolution with many hummingbird-pollinated flowers in the Americas.[9] A key difference is that sunbirds cannot hover, so sunbird-pollinated flowers and inflorescences are typically sturdier than hummingbird-pollinated flowers, with an appropriate landing spot from which the bird can feed.[10][11] Sunbirds are critical pollinators for many iconic African plants, including proteas,[12] aloes,[13] Erica,[11] Erythrina coral trees,[9] and bird-of-paradise flowers.[14] Specialization on sunbirds vs other pollinators is thought to have contributed to plant speciation, including the exceptionally high floral diversity in southern Africa.[15][16]
Relationship with humans
Overall the family has fared better than many others, with only seven species considered to be
List of genera
The family contains 151 species divided into 16 genera:
Image | Genus | Species |
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Chalcoparia Cabanis, 1851 |
| |
Deleornis Wolters, 1977 |
| |
Anthreptes Swainson, 1832 |
15 species:
| |
Hedydipna Cabanis, 1851 |
| |
Anabathmis Reichenow, 1905 |
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Dreptes Illiger, 1811 |
| |
Anthobaphes Cabanis, 1851 |
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Cyanomitra Reichenbach, 1853 |
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Chalcomitra Reichenbach, 1853 |
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Leptocoma Cabanis, 1851 |
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Nectarinia Illiger, 1811 |
| |
Drepanorhynchus Fischer & Reichenow, 1884 |
| |
Cinnyris Cuvier, 1816 |
63 species:
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Aethopyga Cabanis, 1851 |
22 species:
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Kurochkinegramma Kashain, 1978 |
| |
Arachnothera Temminck, 1826 |
13 species:
|
References
- .
- .
- ^ ISBN 978-84-96553-45-3.
- ISSN 1442-9993.
- PMID 12124359– via jeb.biologists.org.
- S2CID 85925616.
- ISBN 978-84-96553-45-3.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-85391-186-6.
- ^ JSTOR 2445883.
- S2CID 25020534.
- ^ JSTOR 3565234.
- S2CID 24426457.
- .
- S2CID 11735363.
- S2CID 5989519.
- PMID 20047876.
- ^ Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (December 2023). "Dippers, leafbirds, flowerpeckers, sunbirds". IOC World Bird List Version 14.1. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
External links
- Sunbird videos on the Internet Bird Collection