Collared Sunbird
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| Hedydipna collaris (Vieillot, 1819) |
The Collared Sunbird, Hedydipna collaris (formerly placed in the genus Nectarinia), is a sunbird. The sunbirds are a group of very small Old World passerine birds which feed largely on nectar, although they will also take insects, especially when feeding young. Collared Sunbird is in fact mainly insectivorous.
Sunbird flight is fast and direct on their short wings. Most species can take nectar by hovering like a hummingbird, but usually perch to feed most of the time.
Collared Sunbird is a common breeder across most of sub-Saharan Africa. Two or three eggs are laid in a suspended nest in a tree. It is a seasonal migrant within its range.
Collared Sunbirds are tiny, only 9-10 cm long. They have short thin down-curved bills and brush-tipped tubular tongues, both adaptations to nectar feeding.
The adult male has glossy green upperparts and head with a yellow belly and narrow purple breast band. The female is a duller green above and entirely yellow below.
This species is found in forests near water.
[edit] Reference
Birds of The Gambia by Barlow, Wacher and Disley, ISBN 1-873403-32-1
