Dicaeum erythrothorax
The Buru Flowerpecker (Dicaeum erythrothorax) is a stunningly diminutive passerine, endemic to the Indonesian island of Buru, making it a unique and precious avian jewel. Measuring approximately 8-9 centimeters in length with a weight typically around 6-8 grams, this tiny bird presents a striking appearance. Its upperparts are a glossy, iridescent blue-black, contrasting sharply with a vivid, blood-red throat and breast patch that serves as its most distinctive field mark. The remainder of it...
This species primarily inhabits tropical moist lowland and montane forests, ranging from sea level up to elevations of approximately 1,500 meters on the island of Buru. It favors the canopy and sub-canopy layers, often found in fruiting or flowering trees.
The diet of the Buru Flowerpecker consists predominantly of nectar and small fruits, particularly mistletoe berries, supplemented by small insects and spiders gleaned from foliage.
The Buru Flowerpecker is a highly active, diurnal bird, constantly flitting through the forest canopy in search of food. Its foraging strategy involves acrobatic maneuvers, clinging to branches and flowers to extract nectar or pluck small berries, and meticulously gleaning insects and spiders fro...
The Buru Flowerpecker is strictly endemic to the island of Buru, one of the Maluku (Moluccan) Islands in eastern Indonesia. Its distribution spans across the suitable forest habitats found on the island, from the lowlands near sea level up to montane forests at elevations of approximately 1,500 m...
Near Threatened
- The Buru Flowerpecker is an island endemic, found nowhere else on Earth but the island of Buru in Indonesia. - It plays a vital ecological role as a primary disperser of mistletoe seeds; these sticky seeds are often wiped off on branches, facilitating new mistletoe growth. - Despite its tiny si...