Crimson sunbird
Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Family
Genus
SPECIES
Aethopyga siparaja

The crimson sunbird (Aethopyga siparaja ) is a species of bird in the sunbird family which feed largely on nectar. They may also take insects, especially when feeding their young. Flight is fast and direct on their short wings. Most species can take nectar by hovering like a hummingbird, but usually perch to feed. It has also been unofficially announced as Singapore’s national bird by the Nature Society Singapore.

Appearance

Crimson sunbirds are tiny, only 11 cm long. They have medium-length thin down-curved bills and brush-tipped tubular tongues, both adaptations to their nectar feeding. The adult male has a crimson breast and maroon back. The rump is yellow and the belly is olive. The female has an olive-green back, yellowish breast and white tips to the outer tail feathers. In most of the range, males have a long green-blue tail, but A.s. nicobarica of the Nicobar Islands and the former subspecies A. vigorsii (Western crimson sunbird) of the Western Ghats of India lack the long central tail feathers. Their call is chee-cheewee.

Habits and Lifestyle

Lifestyle
Seasonal behavior
Bird's call

Diet and Nutrition

Population

Coloring Pages

References

1. Crimson sunbird Wikipedia article - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crimson_sunbird
2. Crimson sunbird on The IUCN Red List site - https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/103804411/94566535
3. Xeno-canto bird call - https://xeno-canto.org/705666

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