Shining Sunbird

Male
Photo by volker sthamer
Bilen, Ethiopia, February 2017

Cinnyris habessinicus

Nectarinia habessinica

Identification

13 cm (5 in)

• Purple forecrown
• Remainder of head and upperparts iridescent green

Distribution

Female
Photo by volker sthamer
Bilen, Ethiopia, December 2010

Africa and the Middle East:
Eastern Africa: found in Sudan, South Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somalia, Kenya, Uganda
Middle East: Arabian Peninsula; Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Oman

Taxonomy

This is one of the many Sunbirds that have recently been moved to the genus Cinnyris from the genus Nectarinia.

Subspecies

There are 5 subspecies^[1]:

• C. h. habessinicus:

Red Sea Province of Sudan to Eritrea and western Ethiopia

• C. h. alter:

North Somalia to Ethiopia

• C. h. turkanae:

Southeastern South Sudan, southern Ethiopia, southwestern Somalia, northeastern Uganda, and northern Kenya

• C. h. kinneari:

• West Saudi Arabia (Asir to Hejaz)

• C. h. hellmayri:

Saudi Arabia and Yemen

Habitat

Areas under cultivation, including gardens. Rocky hillsides. Dry river beds, especially with flowering plants and dry thornbush.

Behaviour

Diet

Nectar, fruit of the Toothbrush tree (Salvadora persica), insects and spiders.

References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2017. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2017, with updates to August 2017. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Avibase
3. Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved Sept 2017)

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Shining Sunbird. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 26 June 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Shining_Sunbird

External Links

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