Breeding males are almost all black with a white belly and orange pectoral tufts, but this non-breeding male looks quite different. It is mostly brown above, white below with a distinct black patch extending from its throat down to its breast. Some authors incorrectly call this "eclipse plumage." Oddly, this distinctive plumage is seldom illustrated in the standard field guides. Females are similar but lack the black chest patch. Formerly in the genus "Nectarinia."
Reference: Morlan, J. 2009. What, if anything, is "eclipse" plumage. Birding 41(6):50-52. (
https://fog.ccsf.edu/~jmorlan/Birding%2009-6_Morlan.pdf)
