- Cinnyris sovimanga
Nectarinia sovimanga
Includes: Abbott's Sunbird
Identification
10-11 cm (4-4½ in)
Male
- Metallic green head, back and throat
- Black breast with red band
- Yellow belly
- Brown wings and tail
- Yellow tufts at the sides of the breast become visible when the birds lift their wings in courtship display. *Long, thin and curved black bill
- Yellow tufts at the sides of the breast become visible when the birds lift their wings in courtship display. *Long, thin and curved black bill
Female
- Greyish-brown upperparts
- Dull yellow belly
- Grey throat and breast with darker markings.
Juveniles are similar to the adult females.
Distribution
Madagascar, the Aldabra Group and the Glorioso Islands.
Taxonomy
This is one of the many sunbirds that have recently been moved to the genus Cinnyris from the genus Nectarinia.
Subspecies
There are 4 subspecies1:
- C. s. aldabrensis: Aldabra Island
- C. s. sovimanga: Îles Glorieuses and Madagascar (except south west)
- C. s. apolis: Subdesert of south-western Madagascar
- C. s. abbotti: Assumption Island (Aldabra Archipelago)
- Some authorities recognise this as a separate species, Abbott's Sunbird.2
- C. s. buchenorum: Cosmoledo Atoll (Aldabra Archipelago)
Habitat
A variety of habitats, from mangroves, forests and secondary growth, spiny subdesert vegetation, plantations and gardens.
Behaviour
Diet
Their diet consists of insects, including beetles, bugs and spiders.
Breeding
The domed nest is built by the female. It is constructed from grass stems, coconut fibre and leaves. The clutch consists of 2 whitish eggs, mottled with red. They are incubated by the female for 13 or 14 days, the young fledging after 16-18 days.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2016. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2016, with updates to August 2016. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Gill F & Wright M. 2008. Birds of the World: Recommended English Names. Princeton University Press, Princeton NJ, USA. 2006. ISBN 9780691128276 Update (2008) downloaded from http://worldbirdnames.org/names.html.
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved January 2017)
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Souimanga Sunbird. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 9 October 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Souimanga_Sunbird
