About Cinnyris pulchellus (Linnaeus, 1766)
Beautiful sunbirds (Cinnyris pulchellus) are tiny birds, measuring only 10 cm (4 in) in length; the breeding male’s long tail adds an additional 5 cm (2 in) to this total. They have medium-length, thin, down-curved bills and brush-tipped tubular tongues, both of which are adaptations for feeding on nectar. Males have a black head, bright metallic green upper parts, a scarlet breast bordered with yellow, and a black belly. The central tail feathers of males are greatly elongated. Females are brown on the upper body and have yellowish underparts. This species occurs in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo and Uganda. It can be found in a variety of open habitats that include some trees, such as savannah, riverside thickets, mangroves, beachsides and gardens. Sunbirds are a group of very small Old World passerine birds that feed mostly on nectar, though they also eat insects, particularly when feeding their young. They have short wings, and their flight is fast and direct. Most sunbird species can access nectar by hovering like a hummingbird, but usually perch to feed for most of the time. Cinnyris pulchellus is a common breeder across sub-Saharan tropical Africa. Females lay one or two eggs in a suspended nest built in a tree. The species is a seasonal migrant that travels within its range.
