Amethyst Sunbird - BirdForum Opus

Alternative name: African Black Sunbird

Male
Photo © by louisdup
Port Elizabeth, South Africa

Chalcomitra amethystina

Nectarinia amethystina

Identification

Length 13-14 cm (5-5½ in), mass 11-19 cm.

Adult male: The forecrown is metallic green and the throat, carpal patch and rump are iridescent purple. Otherwise the plumage is jet black (fresh plumage) to brownish black. Appears all-black unless seen at close range in good light. There is no eclipse plumage in this species.

Adult female: Upper parts brown, eyebrow off-white, and underparts off-white, streaked brown.

Immature: Similar to the adult female, but with an orange to brown gape; the immature male has a purple throat.

Female
Photo © by peterday
Sani Pass, South Africa, Jan 2019

Distribution

Sub-Saharan Africa: Congo, DRC, Tanzania, Kenya and Somalia in the north to South Africa in the south.

Taxonomy

This is one of the seven sunbirds that have recently been moved into the genus Chalcomitra from the genus Nectarinia.

Subspecies

Chalcomitra amethystina has three subspecies:^[1]

• C. a. kirkii:

• Southern Somalia to south-eastern Zaire, Kenya, Tanzania, eastern Zambia and Zimbabwe

• C. a. deminuta:

• Zaire to Angola, Zambia, northern Namibia and northern Botswana

• C. a. amethystina:

• Southern Mozambique and Botswana to Cape Province

Juvenile
Photo © by BillN
South Africa, February 2016

Habitat

Woodland, forest edge, and gardens.

Behaviour

Seen singly, in pairs, or in loose groups.

Flight

Flight fast and jinking.

Diet

Feeds on nectar, juices of fruits, insects and spiders. Use of even good nectar sites is erratic; will fly long distances to isolated food sources.

Breeding

Monogamous and territorial. The nest is built by the female using spiders web to bind lichen, grass, down, bark and leaves into a pear-shaped structure suspended from a branch. One to three eggs are laid and incubated for 13-18 days by the female. Parasitised by Klaas's Cuckoo, African Emerald Cuckoo and Green-backed Honeyguide.

References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2015. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2015, with updates to August 2015. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Avibase

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Amethyst Sunbird. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 30 April 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Amethyst_Sunbird

External Links

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