About Nectarinia kilimensis Shelley, 1885
Bronze sunbirds (Nectarinia kilimensis) have a long, thin, distinctly curved bill. Males have bronze-and-green undertones to their plumage, but most often appear black when viewed in light. Unlike males, females have a pale eyebrow, a yellowish patch below the belly, and fine streaking. Some subspecies native specifically to Angola have an unusual patch of green; these populations do not share their range with malachite or scarlet-tufted sunbirds, which lack this green marking. Male bronze sunbirds have no purple tones in their plumage, a feature that is present in females of the species. This species is distributed across Africa. While it is not very common, it is most readily found along the edges of Afromontane forests, on mountainsides, in Zimbabwe's eastern highlands, and in adjacent areas bordering Mozambique. Other countries where the species occurs include Angola, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. It avoids populated areas within these countries and is adapted to most remote environments. These environments include savannas, dry shrubland, grassland, seasonally flooded areas, and rural gardens. It is most abundant in subtropical forests and brushland.
