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Sunbird drinking nectar from typical bird-pollinated flower. As nectar is a primary food source for sunbirds, they are important pollinators in African ecosystems. Sunbird-pollinated flowers are typically long, tubular, and red-to-orange in colour, showing convergent evolution with many hummingbird-pollinated flowers in the Americas. [10]
They eat nectar from different flowering plants. They also eat small insects and fruits, which give them the protein and nutrients they need. [2] In Africa, sunbirds are the dominant pollinator. [5] This dual diet of nectar and insects means they play a significant role in pollination and controlling insect populations.
Sunbirds are generally small birds with long, thin, down-curved bills and brightly coloured, iridescent plumages. [2] They display marked sexual dimorphism, and males are much more visually striking than females, who are usually dull green, brown, or grey. The spiderhunters (Arachnothera) are larger than other sunbirds and show less sexual ...
They vary from the other sunbirds in the nature of their nest, which is suspended underneath a large leaf, usually a banana leaf but sometimes a palm frond or even a branch. The style of nest can be quite variable, a simple cup in the case of the streaked spiderhunter , an elongated tube for the yellow-eared spiderhunter and a bottle shape for ...
The purple sunbird (Cinnyris asiaticus) is a small bird in the sunbird family. It occurs in parts of the Arabian peninsula and South and Southeast Asia. It has a fast and direct flight and can take nectar by hovering like a hummingbird but often perches at the base of flowers.
Cyanomitra is a genus of African sunbirds.Its members are sometimes included in Nectarinia.. 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.
The name Hedydipna comes from the Greek hēdudeipnos, meaning "dainty-supping" or "sweet-eating" — a reference to the nectar sipping habits of these species. [3] These sunbirds are largely restricted to Africa and western islands in the Indian Ocean, though the Nile Valley sunbird is found as far east as Yemen.
The plain-backed sunbird, also known as blue-throated sunbird (Anthreptes reichenowi) 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. Flight is fast and direct on their short wings.