Copper Sunbird vs Souimanga Sunbird

Copper Sunbird

Cinnyris cupreus

Tiny9 gShrubland

The adult male copper sunbird is about 12.5 cm (5 in) long. The subspecies C. c. cupreus inhabits the western part of its range and weighs about 7.5 to 11 g (0.26 to 0.39 oz). The male C. c. chalceus, from the eastern half, weighs 7.5 to 11 g (0.26 to 0.39 oz) while the female of both subspecies weighs 7.3 to 10.2 g (0.26 to 0.36 oz). C. c. cupreus: Senegal to east Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Ethiopia, west Kenya and west Tanzania C. c. chalceus: Angola to southeast Democratic Republic of the Congo, west Zambia, Malawi and Zimbabwe

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Zac Peterson · CC BY 4.0

Souimanga Sunbird

Cinnyris sovimanga

Tiny7 gForest

The souimanga sunbird is 10 centimetres (3.9 in) long with a wingspan of 13 centimetres (5.1 in). The black bill is long, thin and curved. Males of the nominate subspecies have a metallic green head, back and throat. The breast is blackish with a more or less continuous red band while the belly is yellow and the wings and tail are brown. There are yellow tufts at the sides of the breast which become visible when the birds lift their wings in courtship display. Males presumably moult into a duller eclipse plumage by March–April, losing most of the metallic and red feathering for a few months.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Lisa_James · CC BY 4.0

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