Southern Double-collared Sunbird
Cinnyris chalybeus
The Southern Double-collared Sunbird (Cinnyris chalybeus) is a uncommon spiderhunters and sunbird found in 5 countries, weighing about 8 g. The southern double-collared sunbird or lesser double-collared sunbird is a small passerine bird which breeds in southern Africa.










About the Southern Double-collared Sunbird
The southern double-collared sunbird or lesser double-collared sunbird is a small passerine bird which breeds in southern Africa. It is mainly resident, but partially migratory in the north-east of its range.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The southern double-collared sunbird is 12 cm long. The adult male has a glossy, metallic green head, throat, upper breast and back. It has a brilliant red band across the chest, separated from the green breast by a narrow metallic blue band. The rest of the underparts are whitish. When displaying, yellow feather tufts can be seen on the shoulders. As with other sunbirds the bill is long and decurved. The bill, legs and feet are black. The eye is dark brown.
Where it lives
When to see it
The Southern Double-collared Sunbird can be seen all year round, with peak activity in September. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Southern Double-collared Sunbird?
- The southern double-collared sunbird is 12 cm long. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Southern Double-collared Sunbird?
- The Southern Double-collared Sunbird is a tiny sized bird weighing about 8 g.
- Where can you see a Southern Double-collared Sunbird?
- The Southern Double-collared Sunbird occurs in 5 countries, including South Africa, Eswatini, Zimbabwe, Namibia and Lesotho.
- What birds look similar to a Southern Double-collared Sunbird?
- The Southern Double-collared Sunbird is most easily confused with the Loten's Sunbird, the Loten's Sunbird and the Palestine Sunbird.
- Is the Southern Double-collared Sunbird endangered?
- The Southern Double-collared Sunbird is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Southern Double-collared Sunbird for real
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