Cinnyris prigoginei
The Prigogine's Double-collared Sunbird (Cinnyris prigoginei) is a striking member of the Nectariniidae family, a group often referred to as the 'Old World hummingbirds' due to their nectar-feeding habits and iridescent plumages. Measuring approximately 10-11 cm in length, the male boasts a brilliant iridescent metallic green head and upperparts, contrasting sharply with a deep blue-purple band across its chest, immediately followed by a fiery red-orange band, creating its distinctive 'double...
This sunbird is an Afromontane specialist, inhabiting moist montane forests, forest edges, and bamboo zones primarily at elevations between 1,800 and 2,800 meters above sea level.
Primarily nectar, supplemented with small insects (spiders, beetles, caterpillars) and larvae. They forage by hovering at flowers or gleaning from foliage.
Prigogine's Double-collared Sunbirds are diurnal and highly active, often observed singly or in pairs, rarely joining mixed-species flocks. Their foraging strategy primarily involves hovering to extract nectar from flowers with their long, decurved bills and tubular tongues, much like hummingbird...
The Prigogine's Double-collared Sunbird is strictly endemic to the Albertine Rift mountains of Central Africa. Its primary breeding range extends through eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (especially in the Ruwenzori Mountains, Itombwe Massif, and other Kivu highlands), southwestern Uganda, Rw...
Least Concern
- Named after Alexandre Prigogine, a prominent Belgian ornithologist who extensively studied birds in the Congo. - Unlike most sunbirds, which are widespread, this species is a true Afromontane endemic, confined to the Albertine Rift. - Males possess iridescent structural colors that change hue d...