Cape Sugarbird
Promerops cafer
The Cape Sugarbird (Promerops cafer) is a uncommon sugarbird found only in South Africa, weighing about 35 g. The Cape sugarbird is one of the eight bird species endemic to the Fynbos biome of the Western Cape and Eastern Cape provinces of South Africa.
About the Cape Sugarbird
The Cape sugarbird is one of the eight bird species endemic to the Fynbos biome of the Western Cape and Eastern Cape provinces of South Africa.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The Cape sugarbird is a grey-brown bird that is easily recognisable by a spot of yellow under its tail and the very long tail feathers present in males. The male is 34–44 cm long, and the shorter-tailed, shorter-billed, and paler breasted female 25–29 cm long. Another characteristic of the Cape sugarbird is the sound it makes when it flies. The main flight feathers are arranged in such a way that when the bird beats its wings, a frrt-frrt sound is made with the intention of attracting females.
Where it lives
When to see it
The Cape Sugarbird can be seen all year round, with peak activity in January. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Cape Sugarbird?
- The Cape sugarbird is a grey-brown bird that is easily recognisable by a spot of yellow under its tail and the very long tail feathers present in males. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Cape Sugarbird?
- The Cape Sugarbird is a small sized bird weighing about 35 g.
- Where can you see a Cape Sugarbird?
- The Cape Sugarbird is endemic to South Africa, which is the only country where it occurs.
- What birds look similar to a Cape Sugarbird?
- The Cape Sugarbird is most easily confused with the Gurney's Sugarbird.
- Is the Cape Sugarbird endangered?
- The Cape Sugarbird is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Cape Sugarbird for real
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