Sunbird Singapore (1 Viewer)

[Steve.Jonesy]

Hi could this be a female copper throated Or is it a brown throated Sunbird?
Many thanks

 

[TwiddlingThumbs]

This is a Brown-throated Sunbird. Quoting from Birds of Singapore webpage : "Female can be separated from other sunbirds by combination of greyish crown and head-sides, white throat and longish tail with white-tipped outer feathers."

 

[TwiddlingThumbs]

For clarification, the quote is describing the female Copper-throated Sunbird.

 

[rubatroid]

Hi could this be a female copper throated Or is it a brown throated Sunbird?
Many thanks

Agree that this is a female Brown-throated

 

[Steve.Jonesy]

Thanks All

 

[Elijah22]

Looking at the photo, I’d lean towards Brown-throated Sunbird. Female Copper-throated usually show a slight metallic sheen on their flanks, which isn’t visible here. Also, the overall shape – especially the bill-to-head proportion – feels more like Brown-throated.

 

[Michaela11]

Looking at the photo, I’d lean towards Brown-throated Sunbird. Female Copper-throated usually show a slight metallic sheen on their flanks, which isn’t visible here. Also, the overall shape – especially the bill-to-head proportion – feels more like Brown-throated.

I see your point, and it makes sense to lean towards Brown-throated Sunbird based on the lack of the metallic sheen on the flanks and the overall shape. The bill-to-head proportion does seem to fit better with Brown-throated as well. That said, I’m still a little uncertain—sometimes subtle features like those can be tricky to judge from a single photo, especially if the angle or lighting isn’t ideal. I wonder if there might be some overlap in plumage traits or regional variation that could make the identification a bit more complex. I’d be interested to hear if anyone else has encountered a similar situation with these two species.