About Cinnyris chloropygius (Jardine, 1842)
The olive-bellied sunbird, with the scientific name Cinnyris chloropygius (Jardine, 1842), is a small species that is very similar in appearance to the tiny sunbird (Cinnyris minullus). The adult male has a metallic green head, back and throat, dark brown wings, a metallic blue rump, and a black tail with a purplish-blue sheen. It has a narrow blue breast band above a wider scarlet breast patch, lemon-yellow pectoral tufts, and an olive belly. Compared to the slightly smaller tiny sunbird, the olive-bellied sunbird has a larger beak and no blue bars within its red breast plumage. The adult female has an olive-brown head and upper parts, dark brown wings, and a dark brown tail. Its underparts are olive with a yellow wash, and are yellower and less streaked than the underparts of the tiny sunbird. In terms of ecology, the olive-bellied sunbird moves around alone, in pairs, or sometimes in groups of about six birds. It forages in the lower sections of the canopy, feeding on caterpillars, beetles, spiders, nectar, flowers, and seeds. Males are territorial, and will drive away other members of their own species as well as tiny sunbirds. The nest is a straggly structure built from grasses, strips of bark, and leaves, and lined with fine material. Only the female performs incubation.
