Hedydipna platura
The Pygmy Sunbird (Hedydipna platura) is a captivating jewel among African avifauna, renowned for its diminutive size and the male's dazzling iridescent plumage. Measuring a mere 9-11 cm in length, including its tail, and weighing just 5-8 grams, it is one of the smallest sunbird species. Males display a brilliant metallic green head, back, and upper breast, transitioning to a bright yellow belly, often with an orange or purplish band separating the green and yellow, and diagnostic elongated ...
Primarily found in dry savanna, acacia scrubland, open woodlands, and semi-arid environments, often near flowering plants. It occurs from lowlands up to moderate elevations, typically below 2,000 meters.
Their primary diet consists of nectar, obtained by probing flowers with their long, curved bills. They supplement this with small insects and spiders, gleaning them from foliage or catching them in flight.
Pygmy Sunbirds are highly active and diurnal, spending their days flitting between flowers and branches in search of sustenance. Their foraging strategy predominantly involves probing flowers with their specialized bills and brush-tipped tongues for nectar, often hovering like hummingbirds or per...
The Pygmy Sunbird has a wide distribution across sub-Saharan Africa, primarily inhabiting a broad belt from the Atlantic coast of Senegal eastward through Mali, Niger, Chad, and Sudan, extending into the Horn of Africa in Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia. Its range continues southwards through part...
Least Concern
- The Pygmy Sunbird is one of the smallest sunbird species in Africa, often barely larger than a human thumb. - Males possess iridescent plumage that changes color with the angle of light, appearing metallic green, blue, or even purplish. - They are highly adept at hovering in front of flowers, a...