Cinnyris erythrocercus
The Red-chested Sunbird (Cinnyris erythrocercus) is a diminutive yet dazzling passerine, an iconic resident of East-Central Africa's diverse landscapes. Males are particularly striking, showcasing a brilliant iridescent green head and throat, contrasted sharply by a vivid scarlet breast band that gives the species its name, and a bright yellow belly. Measuring approximately 11-12 cm in length and weighing a mere 7-10 grams, its slender, decurved bill is perfectly adapted for probing flowers. ...
This species thrives in a variety of open woodland, savanna, forest edges, bushy thickets, and cultivated areas, often frequenting gardens and agricultural lands. It is typically found at elevations ranging from 800 to 2,200 meters above sea level.
Primarily nectivorous, feeding on nectar from a wide variety of flowering plants using its specialized bill; it supplements its diet with small insects and spiders, which are hawked in flight or gleaned from vegetation, and occasionally small fruits.
Red-chested Sunbirds are diurnal and highly active, often observed foraging solitarily or in pairs, though they may join mixed-species flocks outside the breeding season. Their foraging strategy primarily involves probing flowers for nectar with their specialized bills, but they also adeptly hawk...
The Red-chested Sunbird is a widespread resident across East-Central Africa, with its primary distribution encompassing the Albertine Rift and surrounding regions. Its range extends from eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and northern Zambia, east through Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi, into weste...
Least Concern
- The Red-chested Sunbird's dazzling green and scarlet plumage is not due to pigments, but structural iridescence, meaning the color changes dramatically with the angle of light. - Its long, slender, decurved bill and brush-tipped tongue are perfectly evolved for extracting nectar from deep withi...