This is one of the most brightly colored families of birds in the world, and therefore one of the most beautiful. In this post, we’ll take a closer look at some interesting facts about sunbirds, an extended family of fascinating birds!
The males are way more colorful than the females
This family of birds, except for spiderhunters, are very sexually dimorphic, which means that males and females look completely different from each other. While the males are much larger and extremely colorful, the females are much smaller and have a dull plumage. One of the most fascinating sunbird facts is that the plumage of the males also has iridescent colors which means that its color changes depending on the angle you look at it.
One genus of this family looks distinctly different
While most of the species in these different genera have very similar characteristics, one stands out as being distinctly different. This genus is the “Arachnothera,” birds referred to as “spiderhunters.” While most other sunbirds are very colorful (at least the males), both sexes of spiderhunters tend to have a dull brown plumage.
They are also much larger than some other species of sunbirds. Another difference is that spiderhunters build completely different nests than all the other species. Their nests are also extremely well hidden as opposed to other sunbirds that build it right in plain sight.
These birds can be found in a wide variety of habitats
Because these birds have such an extended range, it also means that they occur in a wide variety of habitats. While most of the sunbirds can be found in rainforests, they are also common in open scrub and savannah, coastal scrub, and alpine forest.
In case their natural habitat has been disturbed due to human activity, they have been able to adapt to their new environment. One of the most remarkable facts about sunbirds is that they can be found from sea level up to an altitude of up to 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).
Their bill is perfectly adapted for them to eat
Most of the diet of many sunbirds consists mostly of nectar. Their bills are adapted to suck the nectar out of the flowers If they aren’t able to reach the nectar inside the flower, they simply puncture the flower at the base to get to it.
Some breed during the wet season for a particular reason
While some species in the equatorial regions breed throughout the year, and some other species, such as the buff-throated sunbird, breed in the dry season, most birds in this family breed during the wet season. The reason that most sunbirds breed during this particular of the year is that a lot more insects are available then, which is what they feed their chicks with.
Sunbirds can be found on these 3 continents
The species in the sunbird family live in the Old World which consists of the 3 continents Europe, Africa, and Asia. This also means that they have an extended range as they are native to all of Africa, throughout the Middle East, all the way to Southeast Asia, southern China, Indonesia, and New Guinea. A wide variety of species can be found in equatorial regions.
They are part of a family of passerine birds
Sunbirds are the name of a wide variety of species of passerine birds in the family Nectariniidae. These are small and brightly colored birds with relatively long and downward-curved beaks that mostly feed on nectar, hence the name of the family.
