Hedydipna collaris
The Collared Sunbird (Hedydipna collaris) is a jewel of the Afrotropics, a tiny, vibrant passerine measuring a mere 9-11 cm in length and weighing 6-9 grams. Males are particularly striking, boasting an iridescent metallic green head, throat, and mantle, contrasting sharply with their bright yellow underparts and a prominent blue-black to violet breast band. Females, while smaller and generally duller, typically present a less defined or absent breast band, retaining the yellow belly but with...
Found primarily in woodlands, forest edges, savannas, and gardens, the Collared Sunbird typically inhabits low to mid-elevation areas, up to 2,500 meters above sea level.
The diet of the Collared Sunbird consists predominantly of flower nectar, supplemented by small insects and spiders gleaned from foliage or caught in mid-air.
Collared Sunbirds are restless, diurnal birds, constantly flitting and probing for sustenance. Their foraging technique is a spectacle of agility, involving rapid hovering before flowers to sip nectar, as well as gleaning insects from foliage and bark. Males are intensely territorial, aggressivel...
The Collared Sunbird is a widespread resident throughout much of Sub-Saharan Africa. Its extensive breeding range stretches from Senegal in the west, eastward across the continent to Ethiopia, and then south through East and Central Africa to Angola, northern Botswana, and eastern South Africa. T...
Least Concern
- The Collared Sunbird's long, brush-tipped tongue is perfectly adapted for extracting nectar from deep floral tubes. - Despite their ability to hover like hummingbirds, sunbirds are not closely related to them; this is a remarkable example of convergent evolution. - They are known to 'nectar rob...