I was taught that only the NA hummingbird could hover. Not true! The sunbird can hover for extended times (I've seen them hover for 10 seconds when feeding from big, deep flowers). Sometimes sunbirds “steal” nectar by biting the base of flowers getting the nectar without pollinating them!
They are very shy and do not like people around. Their high pitch calls can be heard easily indoors.
Apologies for the weak audio. It's been heavily filtered to remove traffic noise, air conditioners, lawn mower, motorcycles, etc.
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Wikipedia: Some species of sunbirds of Africa, southern and southeastern Asia, and Australia resemble hummingbirds in appearance and behavior. They are not related to hummingbirds, as their resemblance is due to convergent evolution.[172]
Wikipedia:
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Nectariniidae
Genus: Cinnyris
Species: C. jugularis
Binomial name: Cinnyris jugularis (Linnaeus, 1766)
The olive-backed sunbird (Cinnyris jugularis), also known as the yellow-bellied sunbird, is a species of sunbird found from Southern Asia to Australia. The specific name jugularis is Medieval Latin for 'of the throat'.[5] Currently, there are 21 subspecies described,[7] but there is a growing body of evidence to suggest these subspecies may represent multiple cryptic species.[8]
Description
They are small songbirds, at most 12 cm (4.7 in) long. In most subspecies, the underparts of both male and female are bright yellow, the backs are a dull brown color. The forehead, throat and upper breast of the adult male is a dark, metallic blue-black.
Distribution and habitat
The olive-backed sunbird is common across southern China and Southeast Asia to Queensland and the Solomon Islands. Originally from mangrove habitat, the olive-backed sunbird has adapted well to humans, and is now common even in fairly densely populated areas, even forming their nests in human dwellings.[10][11]
Behavior
Breeding
The birds mate between the months of April and August in the Northern Hemisphere, and between August and January in the Southern Hemisphere.[12] Both the male and the female assist in building the nest which is flask-shaped, with an overhanging porch at the entrance, and a trail of hanging material at the bottom end.[10]
After building the nest, the birds abandon the nest for about a week before the female returns to lay one or two greenish-blue eggs. The eggs take 2 weeks to hatch. The female may leave the nest for short periods during the day during incubation. After the chicks have hatched, both male and female assist in the care of the young, which leave the nest about two or three weeks later.[11]
Feeding
The sunbirds are a group of very small Old World passerine birds which feed largely on nectar, although they will also take insects, especially when feeding young. Their flight is fast and direct on their short wings. Most species can take nectar by hovering, but usually perch to feed most of the time.
