Olive-bellied Sunbird

Cinnyris chloropygius

Spiderhunters and Sunbirds · Passeriformes · Rare

The Olive-bellied Sunbird (Cinnyris chloropygius) is a rare spiderhunters and sunbird found in 23 countries, weighing about 6 g. The olive-bellied sunbird is a species of bird in the family Nectariniidae.

Least ConcernRareEats omnivoreshrublanddome nest6 g

About the Olive-bellied Sunbird

The olive-bellied sunbird is a species of bird in the family Nectariniidae. It is widely spread across the African tropical rainforest primarily throughout West and Central Africa, but is also found in Southern and East Africa.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

How to identify it

The olive-bellied sunbird is a small species, and very similar to the tiny sunbird (Cinnyris minullus) in appearance. The adult male has a metallic green head, back and throat, dark brown wings, a metallic blue rump and a black tail with a purplish-blue sheen. It has a narrow blue breast band above a wider scarlet breast patch, lemon-yellow pectoral tufts and an olive belly. It differs from the slightly smaller tiny sunbird in having a larger beak and no blue bars among the red breast plumage. The adult female has an olive-brown head and upper parts, dark brown wings and dark brown tail.

Where it lives

Recorded as a rare visitor in Senegal, Zambia.

When to see it

The Olive-bellied Sunbird can be seen all year round, with peak activity in November. It is a resident species across most of its range.

Easily confused with

Quick questions

How do you identify an Olive-bellied Sunbird?
The olive-bellied sunbird is a small species, and very similar to the tiny sunbird (Cinnyris minullus) in appearance. Full identification notes are on this page.
How big is an Olive-bellied Sunbird?
The Olive-bellied Sunbird is a tiny sized bird weighing about 6 g.
Where can you see an Olive-bellied Sunbird?
The Olive-bellied Sunbird occurs in 23 countries, including Uganda, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon and Kenya.
What birds look similar to an Olive-bellied Sunbird?
The Olive-bellied Sunbird is most easily confused with the Souimanga Sunbird, the Souimanga Sunbird and the Copper Sunbird.
Is the Olive-bellied Sunbird endangered?
The Olive-bellied Sunbird is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

Learn the Olive-bellied Sunbird for real

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