Cinnyris minullus
The Tiny Sunbird, Cinnyris minullus, is a truly captivating jewel of the African tropics, distinguished as the smallest member of the sunbird family, Nectariniidae. Measuring a mere 8-9 cm in length and weighing just 3-5 grams, its diminutive size is a primary identification cue. Males boast brilliant iridescent plumage, featuring a metallic green head and back, a shimmering violet-blue breast band, and a rich maroon chest that fades to dull olive on the belly, often with yellow pectoral tuft...
This sunbird primarily inhabits forest edges, clearings, secondary growth, and cultivated areas like plantations and gardens, generally in lowland and mid-elevation tropical zones. It prefers areas with abundant flowering plants, from sea level up to around 1,800 meters.
The primary diet consists of nectar, extracted from a wide variety of flowering plants, supplemented by small insects and spiders gleaned from foliage or caught in flight.
Tiny Sunbirds are highly active and diurnal, spending their days flitting rapidly between flowers and vegetation in search of sustenance, typically roosting singly or in pairs within dense foliage at night. Their foraging strategy primarily involves probing flowers for nectar with their long, dec...
The Tiny Sunbird is native to a broad band across equatorial Africa, primarily found from southeastern Nigeria eastward through Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, the Republic of the Congo, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, extending into parts of Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi, and south i...
Least Concern
- The Tiny Sunbird is the smallest species within the diverse sunbird family (Nectariniidae), measuring just 8-9 cm. - Despite their small size, males possess some of the most brilliant iridescent plumage among African birds, appearing metallic green, violet-blue, and maroon. - They are remarkabl...