Purple Sunbird

Latin Name: 
Cinnyris asiaticus
Category: 
Size: 
10cm
Description: 

Br Male: metallic purple-blue above, and on throat and breast; dark purplish-black belly; narrow chestnut-maroon band between breast and belly; yellow and scarlet pectoral tufts, normally hidden under wings. Female: olive-brown above; pale yellow below (zeylonica female has whitish throat). Non-breeding male: much like female but with a broad purple-black stripe down centre of throat to belly. Solitary or in pairs; an important pollinating agent, almost always seen around flowering trees and bushes; displays amazing agility and acrobatic prowess when feeding; sometimes hunts flycatcher style.

Habitat: 
open forests, gardens, groves.
Food: 
nectar, small insects, spiders.
Distribution: 
subcontinent, south from Himalayan foothills to about 1,500m.
Call: 
Call Description: 
more noisy than other sunbirds; loud chweet… notes.
National Status: