Order Passeriformes Family Nectariniidae
The sunbirds and spiderhunters are part of a bird family that prefers nectar. They are found across Africa, southern Asia, and even as far as northern Australia. Interestingly, sunbirds have evolved traits similar to hummingbirds in the Americas and honeyeaters in Australia, even though these groups are not closely related. This evolution is a result of similar environmental pressures and nectar-feeding lifestyles.
The spiderhunters of the genus Arachnothera are visually distinct from other members of the sunbird family. They are usually larger, with dull brown feathers and long, curved beaks.
Sunbirds feed on nectar and insects, particularly during the breeding season in summer. Certain species of sunbirds also eat fruit. They have long, slender, down-curved bills with tubular tongues that enable them to drink nectar. If they cannot reach the nectar from the flowers’ throats, their serrated tongue tips allow them to “saw” into the corolla from the outside to collect the nectar.
Sunbirds have short, rounded wings that enable a high flapping rate, allowing them to hover like hummingbirds; most perch while feeding. They are known for their fast and direct flight using their short wings.
Male sunbirds are typically colorful because of iridescence, which causes their appearance to change depending on the lighting conditions, earning them the name “sunbirds.” When not breeding, some males have less vibrant eclipse plumage. In contrast, females are not iridescent and are generally less colorful.
Sunbirds build purse-shaped nests enclosed and suspended from thin branches, often using a generous amount of spiderweb.
1. Genus Aethopyga
1.1. Apo Sunbird (Aethopyga boltoni)
Description: Male Apo Sunbirds have olive-colored upperparts with long, graduated tails tipped in white. Their underparts are yellow, with small red patches on their chests and thin yellow stripes running up their throats. Females are smaller and less colorful, lacking the red patches, shorter tails, and smaller bills.
- Length: 4.0 – 4.3 inches (10 – 11 cm)
- Weight: 0.21 – 0.28 ounces (6 – 8 g)
Habitat: Apo Sunbirds inhabit mid-to high-elevation montane mossy forests.
Conservation: IUCN has listed Apo Sunbirds as Least Concern (LC).
Distribution: Apo Sunbirds are endemic to the island of Mindanao in the Philippines.
1.2. Black-throated Sunbird (Aethopyga saturata)
Description: Male Black-throated Sunbirds have iridescent violet-purple on their foreheads, crowns, napes, and malar stripes. Their backs and breasts are crimson-brown or maroon, sometimes featuring variable yellow bands on their lower backs and brownish wings. They have black faces, throats, upper breasts, and long metallic purple-blue tails. A pale greyish-olive to greenish-grey coloration characterizes the rest of their underparts. In contrast, females sport olive-green upper parts with greyish crowns.
- Length: 5.5 – 5.9 inches (14 – 15 cm)
- Weight: 0.19 – 0.23 ounces (5.5 – 6.5 g)
Habitat: Black-throated Sunbirds can be found in subtropical or tropical moist lowlands, montane forests, scrub, gardens, and along shady streams.
Conservation: IUCN has listed Black-throated Sunbirds as Least Concern (LC).
Distribution: Black-throated Sunbirds are found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Laos], Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Thailand and Vietnam.
1.3. Bohol Sunbird (Aethopyga decorosa)
Description: Male Bohol Sunbirds have bluish-green iridescence on their foreheads, cheeks, and shoulders. Their upperparts are olive green, and their underparts are yellow, changing to whitish from their bellies to vents. The sides of their faces are black. Females, conversely, are drab and do not have any of the radiance seen in males. They have olive-green upperparts and olive-gray underparts.
- Length: 4.0 – 4.3 inches (10 – 11 cm)
- Weight: 0.21 – 0.28 ounces (6 – 8 g)
Habitat: Bohol Sunbirds inhabit mossy forests, forest edges, and second-growth, including banana plantations.
Conservation: IUCN has listed Bohol Sunbirds as Least Concern (LC).
Distribution: Bohol Sunbirds are endemic to the Philippines.
1.4. Crimson Sunbird (Aethopyga siparaja)
Description: Male Crimson Sunbirds have crimson backs, napes, and necks with radiant blue caps and black malar stripes. Their tail feathers have a metallic purple sheen. Their underparts are olive-gray, while their rumps are yellow. Their tail feathers are dark brown. In contrast, females have dull olive coloration, with lighter underparts and white tips on their outer tail feathers.
- Length: 4.6 – 5.9 inches (11.7 – 15 cm)
- Weight: 0.17 – 0.32 ounces (4.8 – 9 g)
Habitat: Crimson Sunbirds inhabit forested areas, forest edges, coastal vegetation, plantations, and gardens.
Conservation: IUCN has listed Crimson Sunbirds as Least Concern (LC).
Distribution: Crimson Sunbirds are found in southernAsia, fromIndia to Nepal, Bangladesh, MyanmartoIndonesia, andBrunei.
1.5. Elegant Sunbird (Aethopyga duyvenbodei)
Description: The male Elegant Sunbirds have maroon coloration on the sides of their heads, napes, necks, and ear coverts. They have iridescent blue-green crowns, glossy blue shoulders, and metallic purple uppertail coverts. Their mantles and backs are olive green with yellow rumps, and both sexes have yellow underparts. In contrast, the females have olive upperparts and scaly crowns.
- Length: Average 4.7 inches (12 cm)
Habitat: Elegant Sunbirds inhabit remnant forests, scrubs, mixed plantations, and tree ferns.
Conservation: The IUCN has listed Elegant Sunbirds as Endangered (EN) due to both primary and secondary habitats being lost through human encroachment.
Distribution: Elegant sunbirds are found on the island ofSangihe, north of Sulawesi (Indonesia).
1.6. Fire-tailed Sunbird (Aethopyga ignicauda)
Description: Male Fire-tailed Sunbirds are recognizable by their scarlet long tails, napes, backs, head sides, vents, metallic purple-blue crowns, and blackish face sides. These birds also possess yellow patches on their lower backs, olive upper wings, and gleaming purple-blue throats. Their underparts are yellow with a reddish wash on their breasts, gradually turning gray towards their vents. However, females have gray heads, olive upperparts, and yellow rumps.
- Length: 4.0 – 4.3 inches (10 – 11 cm)
- Weight: 0.21 – 0.28 ounces (6 – 8 g)
Habitat: The Fire-tailed Sunbirds can be found in various habitats, including broadleaf, high-altitude, coniferous, and oak forests with rhododendron understorey. They also inhabit montane evergreen forests, often preferring to stay along their edges.
Conservation: IUCN has listed Fire-tailed Sunbirds as Least Concern (LC).
Distribution: The Fire-tailed Sunbirds are found in the Indian subcontinent, primarily in the Himalayas and some adjoining Southeast Asian regions. They occur in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, and Tibet.
1.7. Flaming Sunbird (Aethopyga flagrans)
Description: Male Flaming Sunbirds have metallic blue foreheads and forecrowns, olive upperparts, and black tails with metallic green edges. They have black faces, lower throats, and chests, with dark metallic purple upper throats and a bright reddish-orange to scarlet spot on their lower throats. Their abdomens are yellow with an orange wash in the center of their lower breasts and upper bellies and paler yellowish-grey on their flanks and vents. Whitish undertail coverts complete their distinctive appearance. Females have olive heads and upperparts with greyish throats and underparts.
- Length: Average 3.74 inches (9.5 cm)
- Weight: 0.17 – 0.32 ounces (4.9 – 8 g)
Habitat: Flaming Sunbirds inhabit forests, forest edges, and second growth.
Conservation: IUCN has listed Flaming Sunbirds as Least Concern (LC).
Distribution: Flaming Sunbirds are endemicto the northernPhilippines.
1.8. Fork-tailed Sunbird (Aethopyga christinae)
Description: Male Fork-tailed Sunbirds have metallic green from their foreheads to their napes, black faces, and brilliant metallic-blue malar stripes. They have blood-red chins, throats, and upper breasts, and the rest of the underparts are yellowish. Their upper parts are olive-yellow, yellow rumps, and metallic green tails with a fork (outer rectrices are black). Females have dull olive upperparts and heads and paler underparts.
- Length: 3.54 – 4.3 inches (9 – 11 cm)
- Weight: 0.17 – 0.21 ounces (4.7 – 4.9 g)
Habitat: Fork-tailed Sunbirds inhabit subtropical or tropical moist lowlandforests. They are also seen in gardens and forest edges.
Conservation: IUCN has listed Fork-tailed Sunbirds as Least Concern (LC).
Distribution: Fork-tailed Sunbirds are found in China, Hong Kong, and Vietnam.
1.9. Mrs. Gould’s Sunbird (Aethopyga gouldiae)
Description: Male Mrs. Gould’s Sunbirds have metallic violet crowns, ear coverts, throats, and patches on the sides of their necks. They also have crimson supercilia and yellow lower backs; their rumps and long tails are metallic purple-blue. The rest of their underparts are yellow. Females are duller, with yellow underparts, olive upperparts, and grayish heads.
- Length: 5.51 – 5.9 inches (14 – 15 cm)
- Weight: 0.21 – 0.28 ounces (6 – 8 g)
Habitat: Mrs. Gould’s Sunbirds inhabit evergreen broad-leaved forests, monsoon forests, and deciduous broad-leaved forests.
Conservation: IUCN has listed Mrs. Gould’s Sunbirds as Least Concern (LC).
Distribution: Mrs. Gould’s Sunbirds are found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, India, Vietnam and Southwestern China.
1.10. Gray-hooded Sunbird (Aethopyga primigenia)
Description: Male Gray-hooded Sunbirds have gray heads and breasts, olive upperparts, white upper bellies, yellow lower bellies, and sides, with white-tipped tails and yellow rumps. They have iridescent bronze-green foreheads and cheek patches.
- Length: 4.0 – 4.3 inches (10 – 11 cm)
- Weight: 0.21 – 0.28 ounces (6 – 8 g)
Habitat: Gray-hooded Sunbirds inhabit tropical, moist montane forests and forest edges.
Conservation: IUCN has listed Gray-hooded Sunbirds as Least Concern (LC).
Distribution: Gray-hooded Sunbirds are found in west, central, and southern Mindanao.
1.11. Green-tailed Sunbird (Aethopyga nipalensis)
Description: Male Green-tailed Sunbirds have metallic green to blue-green crowns, napes, uppertail-coverts, and graduated tails. Their necks and upper backs boast a stunning crimson-brown or maroon hue. Their underparts are yellow with a scarlet wash on their chests. Their wings and upper backs are olive green, with yellow rumps. Females are olive-green, gray-headed, and slightly yellowish below.
- Length: 4.0 – 4.3 inches (10 – 11 cm)
- Weight: 0.21 – 0.28 ounces (6 – 8 g)
Habitat: Green-tailed Sunbirds can be found in various habitats, including woodlands, temperate forests, montane and hill forests, forest edges, and open mountain woods with moss-covered trees.
Conservation: IUCN has listed Green-tailed Sunbirds as Least Concern (LC).
Distribution: Green-tailed Sunbirds are found in Nepal, the Indian subcontinent, and Southeast Asia.
1.12. Handsome Sunbird (Aethopyga bella)
Description: Male Handsome Sunbirds have metallic green partial crowns, while the rest of their crowns and napes are a rich dark green. They have dark red sides of their heads and upper backs, yellow chins, throats, chests, and whitish bellies and vents. The males also have a scarlet wash on their chests, olive green wings, yellow rumps, and green tails. Additionally, they have a purple ear spot and blue-green malar stripes. In contrast, females have a dull olive-green color above and are duller on their heads, with yellow rumps.
- Length: Average 3.58 inches (9.1 cm)
- Weight: 0.14 – 0.19 ounces (3.9 – 5.3 g)
Habitat: Handsome Sunbirds inhabit wooded areas, thickets, forest and forest areas.
Conservation: IUCN has listed Handsome Sunbirds as Least Concern (LC).
Distribution: Handsome Sunbirds are endemic to the Philippines.
1.13. Javan Sunbird also Scarlet Sunbird (Aethopyga mystacalis)
Description: Male Javan Sunbirds have scarlet heads, chests, backs, iridescent purple crowns, and malars. They also have grey bellies, vents, dark iridescent purple uppertail-coverts, and long graduated tails. Females are typically olive with gray heads, lighter gray on their throats, and paler below.
- Length: Average 4.72 inches (12 cm)
Habitat: Javan Sunbirds inhabitsubtropical or tropical moist lowland and montane forests.
Conservation: IUCN has listed Javan Sunbirds as Least Concern (LC).
Distribution: Javan Sunbirds are endemic to JavaandBali,Indonesia.
1.14. Lina’s Sunbird (Aethopyga linaraborae)
Description: Male Lina’s Sunbirds have iridescent blue crowns, cheeks, and wings, with green backs and napes. Their tails are blue with white tips. Their underparts are yellow, with small orange patches on their breasts. They also have green shoulders and rumps. On the other hand, females are duller than males and have faint streaking on the underparts, gray heads, and golden-olive wings.
- Length: Average 4.25 inches (10.8 cm)
- Weight: 0.20 – 0.31 ounces (5.7 – 8.7 g)
Habitat: Lina’s Sunbirds in rugged and inaccessible mountains in montane forests.
Conservation: The IUCN has listed Lina’s Sunbirds as Near Threatened (NT) due to habitat destruction by mining activity that may be prevalent near Mt. Hamiguitan.
Distribution: Lina’s Sunbirds are endemic to the Island of Mindanao in the Philippines.
1.15. Lovely Sunbird (Aethopyga shelleyi)
Description: Male Lovely Sunbirds have metallic purple and green crowns and dark red sides of their heads, hindneck, and upper backs. Their lower backs and rumps are bright yellow. Their wings are olive; their tails are graduated metallic blue-green. Their breasts feature a vivid yellow with red streaking, while their bellies are a contrasting pale gray. In comparison, females exhibit dull green upperparts with gray heads and lighter underparts.
- Length: Average 4.13 inches (10.5 cm)
- Weight: 0.21 – 0.28 ounces (6 – 8 g)
Habitat: Lovely Sunbirds inhabit wooded areas like forest, and forest edges. They are also found in cultivation areas, often around flowering and fruiting trees.
Conservation: IUCN has listed Lovely Sunbirds as Least Concern (LC).
Distribution: Lovely Sunbirds are endemic to the Philippines.
1.16. Magnificent Sunbird (Aethopyga magnifica)
Description: Male Magnificent Sunbirds have bright red heads, backs, and chests, black foreheads and lores, metallic purplish foreheads, and glossed purple thin black malar stripes. They have black wings and bellies with yellow rumps and glossy purple tails. Females are mainly olive with distinctive reddish wings and tails.
- Length: 5.12 – 5.51 inches (13 – 14 cm)
- Weight: 0.28 – 0.37 ounces (8 – 10.4 g)
Habitat: Magnificent Sunbirds inhabit second-growth forest edges, cultivation, and gardens.
Conservation: IUCN has listed Magnificent Sunbirds as Least Concern (LC).
Distribution: Magnificent Sunbirds are endemic to the westernPhilippines.
1.17. Maroon-naped Sunbird (Aethopyga guimarasensis)
Description: Male Maroon-naped Sunbirds have purple-tinged metallic blue-green foreheads, crowns, and dark red hind crowns to mantles. Their olive-yellow back extends to their rumps, and they also have purple malar stripes, black faces, chins, throats, and upper breasts. The rest of their underparts are vibrant yellow, with a red spot on their breasts. In contrast, females of this species display olive-green upperparts and grayish underparts, with a yellow patch on their lower breasts.
- Length: Average 3.74 inches (9.5 cm)
- Weight: 0.21 – 0.28 ounces (6 – 8 g)
Habitat: Maroon-naped Sunbirds inhabit forests and forest edges.
Conservation: IUCN has listed Maroon-naped Sunbirds as Least Concern (LC).
Distribution: Maroon-naped Sunbirds are endemic to the Philippines.
1.18. Metallic-winged Sunbird (Aethopyga pulcherrima)
There are three distinct sub-species: A. p. pulcherrima, A. p. jefferyi and A. p. decorosa
Description: Male Metallic-winged Sunbirds have iridescent bluish-green on their foreheads, cheeks, and shoulders, with yellow underparts and orange smudged patches on their upper breasts. Their upperparts are olive-green. Females, on the other hand, have olive-green upperparts and olive-gray underparts.
- Length: 4 – 4.3 inches (10 – 11 cm)
- Weight: 0.21 – 0.28 ounces (6 – 8 g)
Habitat: Metallic-winged Sunbirds inhabit lowlands, foothill forests, and forest edges.
Conservation: IUCN has listed Metallic-winged Sunbirds as Least Concern (LC).
Distribution: Metallic-winged Sunbirds are endemic to the Philippines.
1.19. Tboli Sunbird (Aethopyga tibolii)
Description: Male Tboli Sunbirds have olive upperparts with white streaks and have long, graduated tails tipped in white. Their underparts are a pale yellow, marked with small light red patches on their chests and a thin yellow stripe running up their throats. In contrast, females are smaller and less colorful, lacking the red patches, sporting shorter tails, and having smaller bills.
- Length: 4.0 – 4.3 inches (10 – 11 cm)
- Weight: 0.21 – 0.28 ounces (6 – 8 g)
Habitat: Tboli Sunbirds inhabit mid- to high-elevation montane mossy forests.
Conservation: IUCN has listed Tboli Sunbirds as Least Concern (LC).
Distribution: Tboli Sunbirds are restricted to mountains in southernmost Mindanao, in the southern Philippines.
1.20. Temminck’s Sunbird (Aethopyga temminckii)
Description:
- Length: Average 5.12 inches (13 cm)
- Weight: 0.16-0.22 ounces (4·6–6·1 g)
Habitat: Temminck’s Sunbirds are known to inhabit the lush lowland and hill dipterocarp forests, as well as the lower montane forests and peat swamp forests. They are predominantly spotted in submontane areas.
Conservation: IUCN has listed Temminck’s Sunbirds as Least Concern (LC).
Distribution: Temminck’s Sunbirds can be found in Borneo, Sumatra, Malaysia, and Thailand.
1.21. Vigors’s Sunbird (Aethopyga vigorsii)
Description: Male Vigors’s Sunbirds have metallic blue-green foreheads extending to the center of their crowns, metallic violet malar streaks, scarlet throats and breasts, and gray underparts. Their wings are grey-brown, and they have yellow on the lower backs with bottle-green tails. On the other hand, the females have dark olive upperparts and grey underparts.
- Length: Average 5.91 inches (15 cm)
- Weight: Average 0.28 ounces (7.9 g)
Habitat: Vigors’s Sunbirds are typically found in lush, evergreen, and moist-deciduous forests and along the edges of forests, especially near blooming trees and shrubs.
Conservation: IUCN has listed Vigors’s Sunbirds as Least Concern (LC).
Distribution: Vigors’s Sunbirds are endemic to theWestern Ghatsof India.
1.22. White-flanked Sunbird (Aethopyga eximia)
Description: The male White-flanked Sunbirds have iridescent green crowns with hints of blue, complemented by olive napes, sides of faces, and wings. Their long tails are a deep brown shade, with central feathers showing a tinge of blue. Their throats and breasts exhibit a striking red color with a narrow iridescent purple band across their throats, while olive green hues with white flanks characterize the remainder of their underparts. In contrast, the females are predominantly dull olive above, with gray heads and olive-green coloring below.
- Length: Average 5.12 inches (13 cm)
- Weight: Average 0.41ounces (11.5 g)
Habitat: White-flanked Sunbirds habitat forests, forest edges, clearings, and alpine scrubs.
Conservation: IUCN has listed White-flanked Sunbirds as Least Concern (LC).
Distribution: White-flanked Sunbirds are found in the mountains of Java.
2. Genus Arachnothera
As their name suggests, Spiderhunters feed on spiders and other small arthropods. They belong to the Sunbird family and can extract spiders from their webs. Additionally, they feed on nectar. These birds are some of the largest in the Sunbird family.
2.1. Bornean Spiderhunter (Arachnothera everetti)
Description: Bornean Spiderhunters have olive-green upper parts with lightish-gray underparts and streaky chests. Sexes are alike.
- Length: 6.3-7.09 inches (16-18 cm)
Habitat: Bornean Spiderhunters are found in lowland and submontane forests, as well as in edge habitats and plantations.
Conservation: BirdLife International has listed Bornean Spiderhunters as Least Concern (LC) under IUCN criteria.
Distribution: Bornean Spiderhunters are endemic to Borneo.
2.2. Gray-breasted Spiderhunter (Arachnothera modesta)
Description: TheStreaky-breasted Spiderhuntersare also considered conspecific with theGray-breasted Spiderhunters. Spiderhunter’s upper bodies are golden-green, and their underparts are gray, with streaks on their breasts and bellies. Sexes are alike
- Length: 6.69 – 7.09 inches (17 – 18 cm)
- Weight: 0.72 – 0.88 ounces (20.5 – 24.9 g)
Habitat: Gray-breasted Spiderhunters inhabit dipterocarp forests, secondary and dry forests, banana plantations, orchards, and coconut groves.
Conservation: IUCN has listed Gray-breasted Spiderhunters as Least Concern (LC).
Distribution: Gray-breasted Spiderhunters are found in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
2.3. Little Spiderhunter (Arachnothera longirostra)
Description: Little Spiderhunters have long black bills (females have paler bases on the lower mandibles), olive upperparts, and lemon-yellow underparts. Their central crowns are dark gray with lighter sides to their faces. They have short blackish submoustachial streaks. The sexes are similar.
- Length: 5.24 – 6.30 inches (13·3 – 16 cm)
- Weight: 0.36 – 0.58 ounces (10·3 – 16·1 g)
Habitat: Little Spiderhunters inhabit moist forests and are usually found near flowering plants.
Conservation: IUCN has listed Little Spiderhunters as Least Concern (LC).
Distribution: Little Spiderhunters are found in South and Southeast Asia and China.
2.4. Long-billed Spiderhunter (Arachnothera robusta)
Description: Long-billed Spiderhunters have long bills, olive upperparts, and distinctive orange-yellow pectoral tufts. They also have slight scaling on their crowns and dull olive-yellow underparts that transition to yellow on their bellies. Additionally, they have stripes on their throats and upper breasts, and their tails are blackish-brown with the outer two feather pairs tipped white. While females are similar to males, they are smaller and do not have pectoral tufts.
- Length: 8.27 – 8.66 inches (21 – 22 cm)
- Weight: 0.71 – 0.88 ounces (20 – 25 g)
Habitat: Long-billed Spiderhunters can be found in dipterocarp, peat swamps, coniferous forests, rainforests, and forest edges, as well as in plantations and gardens.
Conservation: IUCN has listed Long-billed Spiderhunters as Least Concern (LC).
Distribution: Long-billed Spiderhunters are found in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand.
2.5. Naked-faced Spiderhunter (Arachnothera clarae)
Description: Naked-faced Spiderhunters have olive-green heads and upperparts. They also have dark gray bare skin in front of their eyes and a pinkish naked submoustachial patch.
Their throats are brownish-gray, and the rest of their underparts are greenish, with a paler and yellowish appearance on the belly and lower flanks. Sexes are alike.
- Length: Average 6.77 inches (17.2 cm)
- Weight: 0.97 – 1.23 ounces (27·5 – 34·8 g)
Habitat: Naked-faced Spiderhunters are typically found in forests, forest edges, and scrub and clearings in low-lying areas, with a particular preference for areas surrounding banana flowers.
Conservation: IUCN has listed Naked-faced Spiderhunters as Least Concern (LC).
Distribution: Naked-faced Spiderhunters are endemic to the Philippines.
2.6. Orange-tufted Spiderhunter (Arachnothera flammifera)
Description: Male Orange-tufted Spiderhunters have olive-green upperparts and orange pectoral tufts, with dark feathers on their central crowns. Their underparts feature a combination of yellow coloring with gray throats and sides of their faces. Their tails are dark brown, with olive fringes and white tips. On the other hand, females closely resemble males but are smaller in size, possess a whiter throat, have a paler base to their mandibles, and lack the distinctive orange pectoral tufts.
- Length: Average 5.24 inches (13.3 cm)
- Weight: 0.37 – 0.48 ounces (10·5 -13·6 g)
Habitat: Orange-tufted Spiderhunters can be found in lowland and foothill forests with understory and edges, and they prefer banana plantations.
Conservation: IUCN has listed Orange-tufted Spiderhunters as Least Concern (LC).
Distribution: Orange-tufted Spiderhunters are endemic to the southern and eastern Philippines.
2.7. Pale Spiderhunter (Arachnothera dilutior)§
Description: Male Pale Spiderhunters have olive upperparts, greyish white throat, and breasts with ashy gray underparts and yellowish flanks. Their pectoral tufts are dull orange, and they have yellow eye-rings. Sexes are alike, but females are smaller, have whiter throats, paler bases to their mandibles, and do not have pectoral tufts.
- Length: 5.98 inches (15.2 cm)
- Weight: 0.37 ounces (10.5 g)
Habitat: Pale Spiderhunters prefer lowland and foothill forests with understory, edges, and banana plantations.
Conservation: IUCN has listed Pale Spiderhunters as Least Concern (LC).
Distribution: Pale Spiderhunters are endemic to the Philippines.
2.8. Purple-naped Spiderhunter (Arachnothera hypogrammicum)
Description: Male Purple-naped Spiderhunters have mostly drab olive-green coloration with streaked underparts. They have iridescent purple napes and rumps, and their tails are olive with outer rectrices with white tips, except for the narrowly tipped white below the central rectrices. Females are smaller than males and lack metallic coloration.
- Length: 5.0-5.9 inches (12·7–15 cm)
- Weight: 0.3-0.48 ounces (9·7–13·5 g)
Habitat: Purple-banded Spiderhunters can be found in various forest environments, such as secondary growth, peat swamp forests, plantations, and gardens.
Conservation: IUCN has listed Purple-banded Spiderhunters as Least Concern (LC).
Distribution: Purple-banded spiderhunters are found in Southeast Asia from Myanmar to Sumatra and Borneo.
2.9. Spectacled Spiderhunter (Arachnothera flavigaster)
Description: Spectacled Spiderhunters are the largest Sunbirds, mostly olive-green plumage with broad yellow eye-rings and ear-tufts. Their lower parts have much lighter plumage with more yellow on lower bellies and flanks. The sexes are similar.
- Length: Average 8.7 inches (22 cm)
- Weight: 1.35 – 1.73ounces (38.4 – 49 g)
Habitat: Spectacled Spiderhunters inhabit various forest environments, such as secondary growth, peat swamp forests, plantations, and gardens.
Conservation: IUCN has listed Spectacled Spiderhunters as Least Concern (LC).
Distribution: Spectacled Spiderhunters are found in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
2.10. Streaked Spiderhunter (Arachnothera magna)
Description: Streaked Spiderhunter have yellow-green upperparts and lighter yellow underparts. They have heavy black streaking on their whole body. Their tails are buff-tipped and have blackish subterminal bands. They have black bills and yellow legs. Sexes are similar
- Length: 6.69 – 8.07 inches (17 – 20.5 cm)
- Weight: 0.99 – 1.22 ounces (28 – 34.5 g)
Habitat: Streaked Sunbirds inhabit various habitats, including heavily disturbed and secondary forests, forest edges, bamboo, scrub, thickets, and gardens.
Conservation: IUCN has listed Streaked Spiderhunters as Least Concern (LC).
Distribution: Streaked Sunbirds are found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, and Vietnam.
2.11. Streaky-breasted Spiderhunter (Arachnothera affinis)
Description: The Streaky-breasted Spiderhunters are also considered conspecific with Gray-breasted Spiderhunters. They are olive above with dark scaling on their crowns and streaky gray underneath. Their undertail-coverts are whitish with dark barring. Sexes are similar
- Length: Averages 8.2 inches (21 cm)
Habitat: Streaky-breasted Spiderhunters inhabit foothill forests, lowland, lower montane, and hill dipterocarp forests and edges. They are also seen in plantations and gardens.
Conservation: IUCN has listed Streaky-breasted Spiderhunters as Least Concern (LC).
Distribution: Streaky-breasted spiderhunters can be found in Bali and Java, Indonesia.
2.12. Thick-billed Spiderhunter (Arachnothera crassirostris)
Description: Thick-billed Spiderhunters have brownish-olive upperparts with faint yellow-gray coloration from their chins to their breasts and yellow underparts. They also have faint yellow crescents around their eyes and slight speckling on their crowns. They have yellow pectoral tufts. Sexes are similar.
- Length: 6.30 – 6.69 inches (16 – 17 cm)
- Weight: 0.55 – 0.58 ounces (15.5 – 16.4 g)
Habitat: The Thick-billed Spiderhunters can be found in various habitats, such as middle-level foothill and lowland rainforests, mangroves, banana and ginger plantations, and gardens.
Conservation: IUCN has listed Thick-billed Spiderhunters as Least Concern (LC).
Distribution: Thick-billed Spiderhunters are found in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand.
2.13. Whitehead’s Spiderhunter (Arachnothera juliae)
Description: The Whitehead’s Spiderhunters have mostly brown plumage with narrow whitish streaking on their upperparts and more significant whitish streaking on their underparts. They also have broad yellow bands on their rumps, vents, and uppertail coverts and have long black bills. The sexes are similar, but females are smaller in size.
- Length: 6.5–7.1 inches (16.5–18 cm)
Habitat: The Whitehead’s Spiderhunters are typically found in hill dipterocarp, montane, and forest edges.
Conservation: IUCN has listed Thick-billed Spiderhunters as Least Concern (LC).
Distribution: Whitehead’s Spiderhunters are endemic to Borneo.
2.14. Yellow-eared Spiderhunter (Arachnothera chrysogenys)
Description: The Yellow-eared Spiderhunters are predominantly olive-green with striking yellow eye rings and matching tufts on their cheeks. Their bills are two-toned, pinkish at the base and darker towards the tips. Below their throats to their breasts, they exhibit yellowish-green hues with subtle greenish streaks, transitioning into brighter yellow tones on their bellies, lower flanks, and undertail-coverts. Furthermore, their pectoral tufts have a greyish appearance. While females have a similar appearance, they do not have distinctive pectoral tufts.
- Length: 6.69 – 7.09 inches (17 – 18 cm)
- Weight: 0.78 – 0.83 ounces (22 – 23·5 g)
Habitat: Yellow-eared Spiderhunters inhabit various habitats, including peat swamp forests, forest edges, bamboo, scrub, thickets, and gardens.
Conservation: IUCN has listed Yellow-eared Spiderhunters as Least Concern (LC).
Distribution: Yellow-eared Spiderhunters are found in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
3. Genus Chalcoparia
There is only one species in this genus.
3.1. Ruby-cheeked Sunbird (Chalcoparia singalensis)
Description: Male Ruby-cheeked Sunbirds have emerald-green iridescence on their upper parts, along with blackish upper wings. They have blue iridescence on their shoulders, with copper-colored ear coverts and cheeks, bordered by a violet patch near their throats. They also have yellow underparts and chestnut-red upper breasts. The females have olive-green upper parts and dark upper wings with yellow on the wing coverts and edges of remiges. Their cheeks are gray, their underparts are yellow, and they have rufous throats and breasts.
- Length: 3.94 – 4.33 inches (10 – 11 cm)
- Weight: 0.29 – 0.32 ounces (8·2 – 9·1 g)
Habitat: Ruby-cheeked Sunbirds can be found in habitats such as lowland forests, forest edges, coastal riverine vegetation, coconut groves, and gardens.
Conservation: IUCN has listed Ruby-cheeked Sunbirds as Least Concern (LC).
Distribution: Ruby-cheeked Sunbirds are found throughout Asia, from the eastern Himalayas through Southeast Asia, extending to the islands of Sumatra and Borneo and reaching Java.
4. Genus Cinnyris
This genus has species in Africa and Asia.
4.1. Apricot-breasted Sunbird (Cinnyris buettikoferi)
Description: The male Apricot-breasted Sunbirds have olive-brown upperparts, with glossy blackish tails edged in brown and brown flight feathers with a touch of green. Their crowns are gray-brown, while their underparts are yellow with iridescent purplish blue-green chins and upper breasts. Additionally, they sport an orange spot on their breasts and bright yellow pectoral tufts. In contrast, females are grayish-olive with yellow eyebrows and dull yellow underparts.
- Length: Average 4.3 inches (11 cm)
Habitat: Apricot-breasted Sunbirds inhabit forests, scrublands, forest edges, and cultivated areas.
Conservation: IUCN has listed Apricot-breasted Sunbirds as Least Concern (LC).
Distribution: Apricot-breasted Sunbirds are endemicto the island ofSumbainIndonesia.
4.2. Flame-breasted Sunbird (Cinnyris solaris)
Description: Male Flame-breasted Sunbirds have iridescent blue-green throats and foreheads. Their upper parts are dull olive green, while their wings and tails are dark brown. They have predominantly yellow underparts, red breasts, and orange pectoral tufts. Conversely, females have dull olive coloration, muted yellow underparts, and occasionally yellow eyebrows.
- Length: Average 4.33 inches (11 cm)
Habitat: Flame-breasted Sunbirds inhabit open areas, secondary forests, edges, scrub, and plantations in the lowlands and low hills. They also inhabit cultivation and gardens.
Conservation: IUCN has listed Flame-breasted Sunbirds as Least Concern (LC).
Distribution: Flame-breasted Sunbirds are found in East Timor, Indonesia.
4.3. Loten’s Sunbird is also Long-billed Sunbird (Cinnyris lotenius, formerly Nectarinia lotenia)
Taxonomy Note: Cinnyris lotenius was previously placed in the genus Nectarinia and listed as Nectarinia lotenia.
Description: Male Loten’s Sunbirds have iridescent purple upperparts with deep brown wings and tails that display a deep blue wash. Additionally, they have narrow, dark crimson or maroon breastbands, bright yellow pectoral tufts, and sooty brown underparts. These sunbirds also boast long, deeply arched, heavy black bills. Females have sharply demarcated white underparts and dark gray upperparts.
- Length: Average 5.12 inches (13 cm)
- Weight: 0.28 – 0.39 ounces (8 – 11 g)
Habitat: Loten’s Sunbirds inhabit both deciduous woodlands, wooded habitats, cultivation and urban gardens.
Conservation: IUCN has listed Loten’s Sunbirds as Least Concern (LC).
Distribution: Loten’s Sunbirds are found only in peninsular India and Sri Lanka.
4.4. Olive-backed Sunbird also Yellow-bellied Sunbird (Cinnyris jugularis)
Description: Male Olive-backed Sunbirds feature olive upperparts with black tails edged in white and tipped with white. They also have iridescent purple-blue chins, throats, and foreheads, while the rest of their underparts are yellow. On the other hand, females sport olive upperparts, yellow underparts, and yellow eyebrows.
- Length: 3.94 – 4.49 inches (10 – 11.4 cm)
- Weight: 0.24 – 0.42 ounces (6.7 – 11.9 g)
Habitat: Olive-backed Sunbirds are found in various habitats, including forests, mangroves, open areas, and urban and rural areas.
Conservation: IUCN has listed Olive-backed Sunbirds as Least Concern (LC).
Distribution: Olive-backed Sunbirds are found in thePhilippinesexcept on thePalawan Island group.
4.5. Purple Sunbird (Cinnyris asiaticus)
Description: Male Purple Sunbirds have glossy purple-black upperpartswith dark brown wings. Breeding males have purple-black underparts; nonbreeding have yellow underparts with perhaps a central black streak. Females have olive-brown upperparts and yellowish underparts.
- Length: 3.94 – 4.33 inches (10 – 11 cm)
- Weight: 0.24 – 0.39 ounces (6.9 – 11 g)
Habitat: Purple Sunbirds inhabit dry and deciduous forests, gardens, and cultivated areas.
Conservation: IUCN has listed Purple Sunbirds as Least Concern (LC).
Distribution: Purple Sunbirds are found mainly in South and Southeast Asia but extend west into parts of the Arabian Peninsula.
5. Genus Leptocoma
5.1. Black Sunbird (Leptocoma sericea)
Description: Male Black Sunbirds have midnight black plumage, adorned with lustrous green crowns on their heads and greenish-blue gloss on their tails and wing feathers. The radiance of their throats varies from reddish-purple in most regions to bluish in the north Moluccas and Kai islands. In contrast, the females are more subdued, with grayish heads, white throats, and olive upperparts.
- Length: Average 4.33 inches (11 cm)
- Weight: Average 0.28 ounces (8 g)
Habitat: Black Sunbirds inhabit various habitats, which include forest edges in woodlands, secondary growth scrub, coconut plantations, and other cultivation. They also inhabit gardens.
Conservation: IUCN has listed Black Sunbirds as Least Concern (LC).
Distribution: Black Sunbirds are found in easternIndonesiaandNew Guinea.
5.2. Copper-throated Sunbird (Leptocoma calcostetha)
Description: Male Copper-throated Sunbirds are mostly black and display iridescent plumage featuring metallic green heads, lower back, rump, and upper wing coverts, coppery red chins, and throats bordered with purplish-blue, metallic purplish-blue breasts, yellow pectoral tufts, and black bellies and under tail-coverts. Females are far plainer, with yellow bellies, pale throats, and thin dark lines through their eyes.
- Length: 4.8 – 5.1 inches (12.2 – 13 cm)
- Weight: 0.26 – 0.39 ounces (7.5 – 11 g)
Habitat: Copper-throated Sunbirds are commonly found in plantations, coconut groves, and rural gardens. They also inhabit tropical lowlands, mangroves, heath forests, and alluvial forests.
Conservation: IUCN has listed Copper-throated Sunbirds as Least Concern (LC).
Distribution: Copper-throated Sunbirds are found in Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Myanmar, Cambodia, and western Indonesia.
5.3. Crimson-backed Sunbird (Leptocoma minima)
Description: The male Crimson-backed Sunbirds have bright red mantles, chests, and wing coverts with an iridescent green crown. They also have purplish patches on their throats and rumps, while their bellies are yellowish. They have black sides on their faces, and their upper wings and tails are a captivating blackish-brown color with a noticeable lilac gloss. They also have bright lemon pectoral tufts (seen mostly when displaying or breeding seasons) and greyish-white flanks. Females have olive-brown upperparts, red rumps, and whitish underparts.
- Length: Average 3.15 inches (8 cm)
- Weight: 0.14 – 0.21 ounces (4 – 6 g)
Habitat: Crimson-backed Sunbirds are commonly found in evergreen forests, plantation shade trees, secondary growth, and gardens.
Conservation: IUCN has listed Crimson-backed Sunbirds as Least Concern (LC).
Distribution: Crimson-backed Sunbirds are endemic to the Sahyadri of India.
5.4. Purple-rumped Sunbird (Leptocoma zeylonica)
Description: Male Purple-rumped Sunbirds have green metallic crowns and shoulder patches, maroon sides of their heads, napes, and backs. The rest of their upper parts are brown with black tails, metallic purple rumps, and uppertail coverts. They have purple throats, lemon-yellow underparts, and whitish flanks. The females have white throats followed by yellowish breasts. Their upper sides are olive or brownish. The females’ uppertail coverts are black.
- Length: Average 4 inches (10 cm)
- Weight: 0.25 – 0.39 ounces (7 – 11 g)
Habitat: Purple-rumped Sunbirds can be found in various habitats with trees, such as scrub and cultivated areas, and are typically not found in dense forest environments.
Conservation: IUCN has listed Purple-rumped Sunbirds as Least Concern (LC).
Distribution: Purple-rumped Sunbirds are found in India and Sri Lanka.
5.5. Purple-throated Sunbird (Leptocoma sperata)
Description: Male nominate Purple-throated Sunbirds have green metallic crowns and shoulder patches, dark brown bodies with purple rumps, purple throats, lemon-yellow underparts, and whitish flanks. They have blackish sides to their faces, ear-coverts, and malar areas.
- Length: 3.54 – 3.94 inches (9 – 10 cm)
- Weight: 0.18 – 0.32 ounces (5·2 – 9 g)
Habitat: Purple-throated Sunbirds are typically found in lowland tropical forests as well as subtropical or tropical mangrove forests and cultivated regions.
Conservation: IUCN has listed Purple-throated Sunbirds as Least Concern (LC).
Distribution: Purple-throated Sunbirds are found in Indonesia and the Philippines.
5.6. Van Hasselt’s Sunbird (Leptocoma brasiliana)
Description: The Van Hasselt’s Sunbirds are also considered a subspecies of the Purple-throated Sunbirds. They would thus be designatedLeptocoma sperata brasiliana.
Male Van Hasselt’s Sunbirds have iridescent blue-green crowns, iridescent pink-red throats, black faces, necks, and mantles. Their wings are mostly matt black, while their tails are deep blue-black. They have red breasts and black lower bellies. Females are predominantly yellowish with pale vents and thin dark lines through their eyes.
Similar to Purple-throated Sunbirds but, their ranges do not overlap.
- Length: 3.54 – 3.94 inches (9 – 10 cm)
- Weight: 0.18 – 0.32 ounces (5·2 – 9 g)
Habitat: Van Hasselt’s Sunbirds can be found in lowland forests, including coastal scrub forests and inland evergreen forests.
Conservation: IUCN has listed Van Hasselt’s Sunbirds as Least Concern (LC).
Distribution: Van Hasselt’s Sunbirds are found in Bangladesh, Northeast India, and Southeast Asia.
Conclusion
These dazzling sunbirds of Asia showcase a stunning array of colors, from brilliantly colored specimens to more subdued ones like the Spiderhunters. The family includes the small 5-gram Black-bellied Sunbird and the larger Spectacled Spiderhunters, offering a diverse range of avian beauty in the region.
Sunbirds are very important to their environment. They help plants grow and reproduce by moving pollen from one flower to another. This pollination helps many different plant species survive and keeps ecosystems healthy.
