Crimson sunbird

The crimson sunbird (Aethopyga siparaja) is a species of bird in the sunbird family which feed largely on nectar, although they will also take insects, especially when feeding the 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.

Crimson sunbird
Male
Female in Nepal

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Nectariniidae
Genus: Aethopyga
Species:
A. siparaja
Binomial name
Aethopyga siparaja
(Raffles, 1822)

They are also the unofficial national bird of Singapore

Description

Crimson sunbirds are tiny, only 11 cm long. They have medium-length thin down-curved bills and brush-tipped tubular tongues, both adaptations to their nectar feeding. The adult male has a crimson breast and maroon back. The rump is yellow and the belly is olive. The female has an olive-green back, yellowish breast and white tips to the outer tail feathers. In most of the range, males have a long green-blue tail, but A.s. nicobarica of the Nicobar Islands and the former subspecies A. vigorsii (Western crimson sunbird) of the Western Ghats of India lack the long central tail feathers. Their call is chee-cheewee.

Distribution and habitats

The crimson sunbird is a resident breeder in tropical southern Asia from India, through Nepal, Bangladesh and Myanmar to Indonesia. Two or three eggs are laid in a suspended nest in a tree. This species occurs in forest and cultivated areas.

References
  1. BirdLife International (2016). "Aethopyga siparaja". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T103804411A94566535. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T103804411A94566535.en.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
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