Bird Guide

Bronze Sunbird vs Malachite Sunbird

Bronze Sunbird (Nectarinia kilimensis)

Bronze Sunbird

Nectarinia kilimensis

Small16 gWoodland

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.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Bronze Sunbird
Recorded by Anne Ndung'u · Call · Nairobi, Nairobi County, Kenya · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Hobbyfotowiki · CC0
Malachite Sunbird (Nectarinia famosa)

Malachite Sunbird

Nectarinia famosa

Tiny14 gShrubland

The breeding male malachite sunbird, which has very long central tail feathers, is 25 cm long, and the shorter-tailed female 15 cm. The adult male is metallic green when breeding, with blackish-green wings with small yellow pectoral patches. In non-breeding (eclipse) plumage, the male's upperparts are brown apart from the green wings and tail, the latter retaining the elongated feathers. The underparts in eclipse plumage are yellow, flecked with green. The female has brown upperparts and dull yellow underparts with some indistinct streaking on the breast. Her tail is square-ended.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Justin Schoon · CC BY 4.0

Where you might meet both

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Bronze Sunbird and Malachite Sunbird.