Sunbird

The Old World hummingbird

Sunbirds and hummingbirds occupy the same ecological role — small, nectar-feeding birds visiting flowers for food and pollinating them in return — but they are not closely related. The two groups represent a striking example of convergent evolution: similar solutions to the same ecological problem arising independently on different continents.

The key difference: hummingbirds can hover in sustained flight while feeding; sunbirds typically perch on or beside flowers to drink nectar.

Iridescent plumage

Male sunbirds are among Africa’s most brilliantly coloured birds. The iridescence comes from structural colour in the feather barbules — the colour changes dramatically with viewing angle, shifting from black to emerald to gold in different light. The malachite sunbird (East Africa) is an intense metallic green; the scarlet-chested sunbird has a vivid scarlet breast; the greater double-collared sunbird has iridescent violet and scarlet bands.

The bill

Each sunbird species typically has a bill shaped to match its primary flower species — a form of coevolution. Long-billed species (malachite sunbirds) probe deep tubular flowers; short-billed species visit flat, open flowers. Some sunbirds pierce the base of tubular flowers to steal nectar without pollinating — “nectar robbing.”

Garden visitors

Several sunbird species have adapted readily to gardens with flowering plants. In South Africa, the sunbird at the aloe is one of the most familiar and beloved wildlife interactions available to urban residents.