About Leptocoma sericea (Lesson, 1827)
This species, commonly called the black sunbird, is a small songbird with a long down-curved bill and an iridescent body. It has an approximate lifespan of 3.6 years, and plumage color differs between males and females. Males are midnight black, with an iridescent blue-purple stripe across the upper chest, a lustrous green crown on the head, and blue-glossed wings and tail. In most regions, the throat is iridescent reddish-purple, but this shifts to a bluish iridescence in northern areas including the Moluccas and Kai Islands. Females have an entirely different coloration from males. Their body and chest are dusted with greenish-yellow, while their wings and head are dark dull brown. In northern areas, female black sunbirds have a nondescript plumage with a charcoal-colored head, olive-green upperparts, and yellow underparts. Juvenile black sunbirds resemble adult females, but have a more distinct yellow throat. The natural habitats of the black sunbird are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical mangrove forest. It prefers a range of forest types, especially forest edges. It is also common in coconut plantations, other cultivated areas, shrub areas, and gardens.
