Purple-rumped Sunbird
Leptocoma zeylonica
The Purple-rumped Sunbird (Leptocoma zeylonica) is a common spiderhunters and sunbird found in 3 countries, weighing about 9 g. The purple-rumped sunbird is a sunbird endemic to the Indian Subcontinent.
About the Purple-rumped Sunbird
The purple-rumped sunbird is a sunbird endemic to the Indian Subcontinent. Like other sunbirds, they are small in size, feeding mainly on nectar but sometimes take insects, particularly when feeding young. They can hover for short durations but usually perch to lap nectar from flowers. They build a hanging pouch nest made up of cobwebs, lichens and plant material. Males are contrastingly coloured but females are olive above and yellow to buff below. Males are easily distinguished from the purple sunbird by the light coloured underside while females can be told apart from males by their whitish throats.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
Purple-rumped sunbirds are tiny, at less than 10 centimetres (4 in) long. They have medium-length thin down-curved bills and brush-tipped tubular tongues, both adaptations for nectar feeding. Purple-rumped sunbirds are sexually dimorphic. The males have a dark maroon upperside with a blue-green crown that glistens at some angles, bright green shoulder patch and violet/purple rump patch which is generally hidden under the wings. The underparts are whitish with dark throat, maroon breast band and purple/violet patch in the throat which is visible in some angles.
What the Purple-rumped Sunbird sounds like
Where it lives
When to see it
The Purple-rumped 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 Purple-rumped Sunbird?
- Purple-rumped sunbirds are tiny, at less than 10 centimetres (4 in) long. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Purple-rumped Sunbird?
- The Purple-rumped Sunbird is a tiny sized bird weighing about 9 g.
- Where can you see a Purple-rumped Sunbird?
- The Purple-rumped Sunbird occurs in 3 countries, including India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
- What does a Purple-rumped Sunbird sound like?
- You can listen to a field recording of the Purple-rumped Sunbird on this page, contributed to xeno-canto under open licences.
- What birds look similar to a Purple-rumped Sunbird?
- The Purple-rumped Sunbird is most easily confused with the Crimson-backed Sunbird, the Copper-throated Sunbird and the Van Hasselt's Sunbird.
- Is the Purple-rumped Sunbird endangered?
- The Purple-rumped Sunbird is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Purple-rumped 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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