Hey Everyone !
I am back again wih a new bird, (err, I guess apparently it's not ☺!) this week . Though it is not exactly a water bird, I chose to write about it as I have been sighting it frequently around the stream near my residential area these days .
1.PURPLE - RUMPED SUNBIRD
The purple sunbird is a small bird in the sunbird family found mainly in South and Southeast Asia. Like other sunbirds they feed mainly on nectar and sometimes on insects. They might look like hummingbirds, but have distinctive features ... so don't be confused amongst both of them. The male is glossy metallic bluish to purplish black on the upper parts with the wings appearing dark brown. The breeding male also has underparts of the same purplish black, but non-breeding males may show a central streak of black on yellow underparts. Females are olive brown above with a yellowish underside. There is a pale supercilium beyond the eye. There is a darkish eye stripe. The throat and breast are yellow, becoming pale towards the vent. The outer tail feathers are tipped in white both in the male and female.The young are just like females in plumage ... however, the males get black feathers as they become adults.
The birds are very vociferous and will call and will join to mob owls or other predators. Their primary breeding season is before the Monsoons, April to June in northern India and January to June in Sri Lanka. This bird's nest is a pouch made of cobwebs, thin strips of vegetation, lichens and bark. It is built almost entirely by the female. The nest material is not woven and most of it is held together by cobwebs. The entrance hole on the side is often shaded by an overhanging projection. The song of a purple-sunbird is a rapid rattle followed by ringing, metallic notes. Other call notes include a "chwit" or "chwing!" notes. According to the IUCN red list, their conservation status is at Least Concern as of now .
A video of purple sunbird, I shot at my terrace!
For more info, you can always visit ebird.org, my trusted online birding site !
Thanks for reading,
Aady
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