Cinnyris superbus
The Superb Sunbird (*Cinnyris superbus*) is a dazzling jewel of the Afrotropics, renowned for its spectacular iridescent plumage. Measuring approximately 13-15 cm in length and weighing around 8-15 grams, the male is an unmistakable spectacle with a metallic green head, upper back, and throat, transitioning to a vivid iridescent blue-purple rump. A brilliant scarlet breast band sharply separates the metallic green throat from a bright yellow belly, often with an orange wash, making for distin...
Found primarily in tropical and subtropical moist lowland forests, forest edges, clearings, and mature secondary growth, typically occurring from sea level up to elevations of about 1,800 meters.
Primarily nectivorous, feeding on nectar from a wide variety of flowering plants, Superb Sunbirds also supplement their diet with small insects and spiders, which they glean from foliage or catch in flight.
Superb Sunbirds are diurnal and highly active, spending much of their day foraging for nectar and insects. They employ a combination of hovering in front of flowers and perching to probe for nectar with their specialized long, decurved bills. Males are highly territorial, especially during the br...
The Superb Sunbird is a widespread resident across much of West and Central Africa. Its distribution extends from Sierra Leone and Guinea in the west, eastward through southern Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of Congo, reaching as far as the Democratic Republic of Co...
Least Concern
- The male Superb Sunbird's iridescent colors are structural, meaning they are produced by the microscopic structure of the feathers, not by pigments, causing the colors to change dramatically with light angle. - Like hummingbirds, sunbirds possess a long, tubular tongue that is fringed with brus...