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Purple female sunbird has yellow-grey upper parts andyellowish lower partsPhotos by the writer

Sunday, December 14, 2008

NATURE

Jewels of the bird kingdom

Twelve species of sunbirds, the small perching birds, which are the counterparts of Americas

hummingbirds and Australias honeyeaters, are found in India, writes Rajiv Kalsi

SUNBIRDS are small perching birds, which feed largely on nectar from flowers, although they also takeinsects, especially when feeding young ones. They belong to the family nectariniidae, which is spread over

Africa, south Asia and parts of north Australia. Sunbirds have counterparts in two distantly related groups:

the hummingbirds of America and the honeyeaters of Australia. The resemblances are largely due to

convergent evolution on account of their similar nectar-feeding habit. Some sunbird species can take

nectar by hovering like a hummingbird, but usually perch to feed.

There are 12 species of sunbirds in India. The smallestsunbird is the crimson-backed sunbird (nectarinia minima),

which is only 8-cm-long and weighs as little as 4g. The

sunbirds occupy a wide range of habitats, with a majority of

species being found in primary rainforest, but other habitats

used by the family include disturbed secondary forest, open

woodland, open scrub or bush land and alpine forest. Some

species have readily adapted to human landscapes such as

plantations, gardens and agricultural land. Sunbirds have

also adapted to life in high altitudes; Mrs Goulds sunbird

(aethopyga gouldiae), green-tailed sunbird (aethopyga

nipalensis) and fire-tailed sunbird (aethopyga ignicauda), for

instance, can be found at altitudes of 3000m to 4000 m

high. To cope with the freezing conditions, they encounter

on high mountains, sunbirds have the ability to lower their

body temperatures while roosting.

Purple sunbird (nectarinia asiatica) is an abundant, resident

breeder widely distributed in India. Purple sunbirds are tiny,

only 10 cm long and the adult male is mainly glossy purple.

The eclipse male has yellow-grey upper parts and a yellow

breast with a blue central streak extending to the belly. The

female has yellow-grey upper parts and yellowish under

parts, and a faint supercilium. The call is a hummingzit-zit.

This species is found in a variety of habitats with some

trees, including forest and cultivation.

Sunbirds are strongly sexually dimorphic, with the males

usually brilliantly plumaged in iridescent metallic colours.

The colour of the iridescence changes with the angle of

incident light such that a blue may suddenly appear green

or black. Many have marked contrasts in their colours,

especially among the genus nectarinia, who have broad red

bands across their chests. Brightly coloured pectoral tufts,

usually yellow or red, are a feature of many species,

particularly among males that use them in courtship and

aggressive displays. As an adaptation to their feeding on

unday Tribune - Spectrum http://www.tribuneindia.com/2008/20081214/spectrum/n

6/14/2009

8/12/2019 Jewels of the Bird Kingdom

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A Purple male sunbird. Some sunbird species can sucknectar by hovering around a flower but usually they

perch to feed

nectar, the predominantly black bills of sunbirds are nearly

all down-curved. The birds tongues are long and may be

extruded far beyond the tip of the bill. The tongues vary in

size and shape, with tubular structures and serrations at the

tips being most common. To reach the nectar in flowers with

long petals, the sunbirds pierce a hole at the base of the

flower. Tails may be short and square-ended, or graduated

and elongated, with males of the genus nectarinia, and

aethopygahaving extended central tail feathers. The legs

are long and thin and usually black, with feet having curvedclaws.

Sunbirds are diurnal and active from dawn to dusk. Their

high metabolic rate and small size necessitate almost

constant searches for food, but they sometimes rest on

exposed perches to preen, wipe their bills, or sing.

Characteristically, they draw attention to themselves by

their high-pitched calls as they flit from one flower to

another, but they also catch insects on the wing and may

hover in front of flowers as they probe them for nectar.

Pugnacious and aggressive to intruders of their own species,

they also attack other species of sunbirds, especially at

feeding areas. Sunbirds are mostly found solitary, in pairs,

or in family groups, but they are also social, coming

together to feed at abundant sources of nectar or joining in

mixed-species groups in forest canopies.

Although not renowned for their singing, the vocalisations of

sunbirds include complex and occasionally melodious songs.

These are chattering warbles, interspersed with whistles and wheezes, uttered from prominent perches

such as dead trees. The songs of sunbirds are used to advertise their territories, which they defend

vigorously around nests and feeding zones. Courtship displays involve exposure of pectoral tufts by males

of those species that possess them, and elaborate bowing rituals, with wings partly open and quivering, and

tails cocked or fanned.

They are generally monogamous and often territorial. Up to three eggs are laid in a purse-shaped

suspended nest. The female builds the nest and incubates the eggs alone, although the male assists in

rearing the young after hatching. The nests of sunbirds are often targeted by brood parasites such as

cuckoos.

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unday Tribune - Spectrum http://www.tribuneindia.com/2008/20081214/spectrum/n

6/14/2009