Crimson Sunbird

The Crimson Sunbird is a strikingly colorful nectar feeder found from the Himalayan foothills and northeastern India through much of Southeast Asia. The male is unmistakable, with a rich crimson-red throat, breast, and upperparts contrasting with an olive-yellow belly, a dark maroon-tinged crown, and a narrow dark moustachial stripe; a metallic green-blue patch often glints on the shoulder or rump.

Females are far duller, olive-green above and yellowish below, lacking any red, and are best recognized by range, small size, and the fine curved bill typical of sunbirds. The species is well known as the national bird of Singapore, chosen for its vivid coloring.

Key field marks

• Male: bright crimson throat, breast, and back; olive-yellow belly; dark maroon crown; thin dark moustache stripe; iridescent green-blue rump/shoulder flash
• Female: plain olive above, dull yellow below, no red
• Slender downcurved bill; small, active, restless in canopy and flowering shrubs
• Central tail feathers may be slightly elongated in males of some populations

Similar species

Other red-plumaged sunbirds in the same genus (such as the Fire-tailed Sunbird at higher elevations) show extended wire-like tail streamers and more orange-red tones; range and elevation usually separate them. Female Crimson Sunbirds resemble many other female sunbirds and are best told by habitat and accompanying males.

Crimson Sunbirds range from the Himalayan foothills of India, Nepal, and Bhutan eastward through northeastern India, Bangladesh, and Myanmar, down through Thailand, Indochina, and the Malay Peninsula to Sumatra, Java, and Borneo. They inhabit forest edges, secondary growth, gardens, mangroves, and cultivated areas from lowlands up to mid-elevation hills.

The species is largely resident, though local altitudinal and seasonal movements track flowering trees and shrubs.

Voice

The song is a fast, thin, high-pitched twittering series; calls include sharp metallic "tsip" or "chit" notes given in flight and while foraging.

Feeding

Crimson Sunbirds feed chiefly on nectar from a wide range of flowering plants, hovering briefly at blossoms, and also take small insects and spiders, an important protein source for nestlings.

Nesting and breeding

The nest is a hanging, purse-like structure of plant fiber, moss, and cobwebs with a side entrance hood, suspended from a thin twig or vine. The female builds the nest and incubates the eggs, while both parents feed the chicks once hatched.