Aethopyga bella
The Handsome Sunbird (Aethopyga bella) is a diminutive yet strikingly beautiful passerine, measuring approximately 10-11 cm in length. Males are resplendent with a crimson throat and upper breast, contrasting with an iridescent metallic green crown, nape, and tail sides, an olive-green back, and a vibrant yellow belly, making them unmistakable. Females, though lacking the male's intense iridescence, possess a subtle charm with an olive-green upperparts and yellowish underparts. A shared disti...
Found primarily in montane and submontane forests, forest edges, and clearings, often extending into secondary growth and cultivated areas with abundant flowering plants. It typically occurs at elevations between 800 and 2000 meters, though it can occasionally be seen lower.
The primary diet consists of nectar from a wide variety of flowering plants, which is supplemented by small insects and spiders gleaned from foliage or captured in flight.
Handsome Sunbirds are highly active and diurnal, often observed singly or in pairs, though they may join mixed-species foraging flocks. They employ a specialized foraging strategy, hovering like hummingbirds or perching to probe flowers with their decurved bill and tubular tongue to extract necta...
The Handsome Sunbird is endemic to the Philippines, where it is broadly distributed across many of the major islands. Its primary breeding range encompasses islands such as Luzon, Mindanao, Negros, Panay, Cebu, Leyte, Samar, Palawan, Basilan, and Jolo. It is predominantly a resident species throu...
Least Concern
- True to its name, 'bella' (beautiful), the male Handsome Sunbird is one of the most vividly colored sunbirds in its range. - Its long, curved bill and brush-tipped tongue are perfect adaptations for reaching nectar deep inside tubular flowers. - Like hummingbirds, they can hover in front of flo...