Cinnyris bouvieri
The Orange-tufted Sunbird (Cinnyris bouvieri), also known as Bouvier's Sunbird, is a dazzling passerine belonging to the family Nectariniidae, often considered the Old World ecological equivalent of hummingbirds. Males are strikingly beautiful, measuring approximately 10-11 cm in length, boasting brilliant metallic green plumage on the head, upperparts, and throat, which shimmers with iridescent blues and purples in direct light. Their most distinctive feature, giving the species its common n...
Found primarily in lowland and submontane evergreen forests, forest edges, clearings, and secondary growth. It typically occurs at elevations below 1400 meters, though occasionally recorded up to 2000 meters.
Feeds primarily on nectar from a variety of flowering plants, supplemented by small insects and spiders. Nectar is obtained by probing flowers with its long, decurved bill.
Orange-tufted Sunbirds are diurnal and highly active, spending their days foraging for nectar and insects. They exhibit agile flight, often hovering in front of flowers much like hummingbirds, but also perch to probe for sustenance. Males are territorial, vocally defending their feeding patches a...
The Orange-tufted Sunbird is a resident species endemic to the equatorial forests of Central Africa. Its primary distribution encompasses parts of Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, the Republic of the Congo, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It also extends...
Least Concern
- The Orange-tufted Sunbird is a prime example of convergent evolution, filling a similar ecological niche to hummingbirds in the Old World tropics. - Its iridescent plumage is not due to pigments, but rather the structural arrangement of melanin granules within its feathers, scattering light to ...