< Previous Page Maps New to the safari experience Accommodation Ratings Resouces Search

Resources > Birds

SUNBIRDS

Petite little birds with long curving beaks, in the various species of this large group it is mostly the males which are brightly coloured in iridescent metallic sheens which glisten and sparkle in the sun, As nectar-feeders, their beautiful colours are further enhanced by the flowers they hover in front of or sit on. As well as nectar, they feed on small insects, thus ensuring a good supply of protein.

Sunbirds construct oval nests suspended from the ends of drooping branches, using grasses and fine strips of vegetation and occasionally rounding off the completed home with a plastering layer of silk raided from a spider's web. Two eggs are usually laid in each nest.

Of the many species which occur, the Marico Sunbird (Nectarina maniquensis) is the most widespread and abundant, males being strikingly adorned with feathers coloured in hues of green, red and black. The females are drab in comparison, bedecked in lusterless shades of brown. Both sexes are often seen cavorting around flowers in many of the camps.

<Previous Page Top ofpage