Cinnyris coccinigastrus
The Splendid Sunbird, *Cinnyris coccinigastrus*, is a strikingly beautiful passerine renowned for its dazzling iridescent plumage, particularly among males. Measuring approximately 13-15 cm in length and weighing around 12-18 grams, the male boasts a brilliant metallic green head, back, and throat, contrasting sharply with a broad iridescent blue band across the chest and a vibrant scarlet-orange belly. A narrow, iridescent violet gorget often separates the green throat from the blue chest ba...
Primarily found in a variety of open to semi-open wooded habitats, including forest edges, clearings, secondary growth, plantations, gardens, and savanna woodlands, generally at low to moderate elevations up to around 1,500 meters.
Primarily nectivorous, feeding on nectar from a wide variety of flowering plants, supplemented significantly by insects and spiders gleaned from foliage or caught on the wing.
Splendid Sunbirds are highly diurnal, spending their days actively foraging for nectar and insects, often observed singly or in pairs, though small groups may congregate at abundant food sources. Males are fiercely territorial, defending favored feeding patches and nesting sites from rivals with ...
The Splendid Sunbird is a widespread resident across much of West and Central Africa, extending from Senegal and Gambia eastward through Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea (including Bioko Island), Gabon, Republic ...
Least Concern
- The male Splendid Sunbird's iridescent colors are structural, meaning they are created by the microscopic structure of their feathers rather than pigments, reflecting and refracting light like a prism. - They possess a long, decurved bill and a unique tubular, brush-tipped tongue perfectly adap...