About Cinnyris coccinigastrus (Latham, 1802)
The splendid sunbird (Cinnyris coccinigastrus) is a member of the sunbird family. Sunbirds are a group of very small Old World passerine birds. They feed largely on nectar, though they also eat insects, especially when feeding their young. Their flight is fast and direct, powered by short wings. Most sunbird species can collect nectar by hovering like hummingbirds, but they usually perch to feed most of the time. The splendid sunbird breeds in west and central tropical Africa. Females lay one or two eggs in an oval suspended nest built in a tree. This species is a seasonal migrant that moves within its existing range. Adult splendid sunbirds are 15 cm long. They have medium-long, thin, down-curved bills and brush-tipped tubular tongues; both of these traits are adaptations for feeding on nectar. The adult male is mainly glossy purple, with a dark green back, a dark green wing bar, and a crimson patch on its breast. The adult female is greenish-brown on its upperparts and yellowish on its underparts. This species is a common breeder in wet savannah and woodland that contains oil palms, Elaeis guineensis. Oil palms provide sap from incisions made in their trunks to collect liquid for palm wine production.
