Bronze Sunbird
Nectarinia kilimensis
The Bronze Sunbird (Nectarinia kilimensis) is a uncommon spiderhunters and sunbird found in 11 countries, weighing about 16 g. The bronze sunbird is a species of bird in the family Nectariniidae.
About the Bronze Sunbird
The bronze sunbird is a species of bird in the family Nectariniidae. It is native to the Bié Plateau (Angola) and eastern Afromontane forests.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
Bronze sunbirds have a long, thin, well-curved bill. Males have bronze-and-green undertones but most often look black in light. While the male has the undertones, the female however has a pale eyebrow and an added yellowish park below the belly with fine streaking. On some subspecies specifically located in Angola there is a splash of odd green, but it does not overlap in range with malachite or scarlet-tufted sunbirds in similar areas which do not have this green streaking. Male sunbirds lack any purple tones to the plumage which is found on female species. Voice: Bronze sunbirds use a jumble of twittering notes followed by cleaner whistle sounds. These sounds are most often heard during the early morning and mid day.
What the Bronze Sunbird sounds like
Where it lives
When to see it
The Bronze Sunbird can be seen all year round, with peak activity in July. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Bronze Sunbird?
- Bronze sunbirds have a long, thin, well-curved bill. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Bronze Sunbird?
- The Bronze Sunbird is a small sized bird weighing about 16 g.
- Where can you see a Bronze Sunbird?
- The Bronze Sunbird occurs in 11 countries, including Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.
- What does a Bronze Sunbird sound like?
- You can listen to a field recording of the Bronze Sunbird on this page, contributed to xeno-canto under open licences.
- What birds look similar to a Bronze Sunbird?
- The Bronze Sunbird is most easily confused with the Tacazze Sunbird, the Purple-breasted Sunbird and the Scarlet-tufted Sunbird.
- Is the Bronze Sunbird endangered?
- The Bronze Sunbird is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Bronze Sunbird for real
BeakBrain drills you on photos and calls until you can greet this bird by name in the field. Free to play, on any device.
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