Loten's Sunbird
Cinnyris lotenius
The Loten's Sunbird (Cinnyris lotenius) is a uncommon spiderhunters and sunbird found in 2 countries, weighing about 9 g. Loten's sunbird, also known as the long-billed sunbird or maroon-breasted sunbird, is a sunbird endemic to peninsular India and Sri Lanka.
About the Loten's Sunbird
Loten's sunbird, also known as the long-billed sunbird or maroon-breasted sunbird, is a sunbird endemic to peninsular India and Sri Lanka. Named after Joan Gideon Loten, who was the Dutch governor of colonial Ceylon, it is very similar to the purple sunbird that is found in the same areas and also tends to hover at flowers for nectar, but can be distinguished by the longer bill, the maroon band on the breast and brownish wings. Like other sunbirds, it is also insectivorous and builds characteristic hanging nests.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
Loten's sunbirds are small, only 12–13 cm long. The long bill separates this from the syntopic purple sunbird. The wings are browner and the maroon breast band is visible on the male under good lighting conditions. The males have pectoral tufts of yellow mixed with crimson that are used in displays. The adult male is mainly glossy purple with a grey-brown belly. The female has yellow-grey upperparts and yellowish underparts, but lacks the purple's faint supercilium. The call is distinctive buzzy zwick zwick and they are also very active often bobbing their head while foraging.
What the Loten's Sunbird sounds like
Where it lives
When to see it
The Loten's Sunbird can be seen all year round, with peak activity in February. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Loten's Sunbird?
- Loten's sunbirds are small, only 12–13 cm long. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Loten's Sunbird?
- The Loten's Sunbird is a tiny sized bird weighing about 9 g.
- Where can you see a Loten's Sunbird?
- The Loten's Sunbird occurs in 2 countries, including India and Sri Lanka.
- What does a Loten's Sunbird sound like?
- You can listen to a field recording of the Loten's Sunbird on this page, contributed to xeno-canto under open licences.
- What birds look similar to a Loten's Sunbird?
- The Loten's Sunbird is most easily confused with the Southern Double-collared Sunbird, the Palestine Sunbird and the Palestine Sunbird.
- Is the Loten's Sunbird endangered?
- The Loten's Sunbird is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Loten's 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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