Cinnyris afer
The Greater Double-collared Sunbird, *Cinnyris afer*, is a striking passerine renowned for its iridescent beauty, belonging to the Nectariniidae family, a group of small, slender passerines native to the Old World. Males boast a dazzling metallic green head, throat, and upperparts, segmented by a narrow metallic blue-violet band, which is immediately followed by a broad, vibrant scarlet-red breast band, providing its distinctive "double-collared" appearance. Their underparts transition to a g...
This sunbird primarily inhabits fynbos, coastal thicket, karoo scrub, and a variety of shrublands, often extending into suburban gardens and montane slopes. It can be found from sea level up to elevations of around 2,000 meters.
The diet consists predominantly of nectar, primarily obtained by probing a wide variety of flowers, supplemented significantly by small insects and spiders. Insects are caught both by gleaning from foliage and by hawking in flight.
The Greater Double-collared Sunbird is a highly active, diurnal species, constantly on the move, diligently foraging for nectar by probing flowers with its specialized tongue, often hovering briefly like a hummingbird or perching at the bloom. While nectar forms its primary diet, it also actively...
The Greater Double-collared Sunbird is endemic to southern Africa, with a continuous breeding and resident range spanning South Africa, Lesotho, and Eswatini. Its distribution extends widely across the southern and eastern parts of South Africa, from the Western Cape, through the Eastern Cape, up...
Least Concern
- Possesses a unique, tubular, brush-tipped tongue perfectly adapted for extracting nectar from flowers. - It can hover briefly in front of flowers, similar to a hummingbird, but more commonly perches while feeding. - Plays a vital role as a pollinator for numerous fynbos plant species, including...