The Apo sunbird (''Aethopyga boltoni'') is a species of

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...

in the sunbird family Nectariniidae. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to the island of

Mindanao Mindanao ( ) ( Jawi: مينداناو) is the second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the island is part of an island group of ...

in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

Description

The Apo sunbird has several distinctions between its male and female counterparts. Although they both have a long, curved bill, olive-colored back and wings, white-tipped tails, and a yellow underbelly, you can tell the difference due to the coloration of the throat. The male has a slim, faded, yellow stripe from its bill to its chest. Along with a dark gray outline around it, and a small red patch in front of its shoulder. The female sunbird has a pale gray throat.

Habitat and Distribution

The Apo sunbird is a bird local to the island of Mindanao in the Philippines. It can be found in mountainous areas in the western and central parts of the island, specifically, Mount Apo, Mount Kitanglad, and Mount Malindang. The Apo sunbird occurs at similar densities to its kin, the lovely sunbird at 49.1 individuals/km². 10% of the mapped area is occupied, which places the number of individuals at 37,000. This would be equal to about 25,000 mature individuals. However, the Apo sunbird is thought to live at slightly lower densities than its counterparts, so it is believed 25,000 mature individuals live in the mountainous region of Mindanao.

Ecology

The song can be a rapid, rising, and high-pitched trill of 15 notes. An alternative song may be equally rapid, even-pitched, and decelerating trill, or a continuous ''clip-clip-clip'' or ''sip-sip-sip''.

Diet

Although there is nothing definitive on their diet, we can presume based on other sunbird species that they feed primarily on nectar but will also consume insects and spiders when feeding their young. They have various foraging patterns including singly, in pairs, and in mixed-species flocks.

Reproduction

The Apo sunbird has been recorded breeding in January-July, with generation lengths averaging 2.4 years (ICU Redlist). Of the 2 nests ever found, one in 1904 and one in 1995, the second was found at over 2,400 meters. A female with an enlarged ovary was also found there in March. The nests were suspended high in the air, roughly 24 meters. The dimensions of the nest were 8 x 16 cm, with a side entrance of 3 cm, and were constructed of moss, spider eggs, and insect cases.

Taxonomy

The Apo sunbird was formally described in 1905 by the American ornithologist Edgar Alexander Mearns from specimens collected from

Mount Apo Mount Apo, also known locally as Apo Sandawa, is a large solfataric, dormant stratovolcano on the island of Mindanao, Philippines. With an elevation of above sea level, it is the highest-mountain in the Philippine Archipelago, Mindanao and 2 ...

on the island of

. He coined the

binomial name In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

''Aethopyga boltoni''. Three

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

are recognised: * ''A. b. malindangensis'' Rand &

Rabor Rabor ( fa, رابر, also Romanized as Rābor and Raber; also known as Rābur and Rāhbur) is a city and capital of Rabor County, Kerman Province, Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a ...

, 1957 – west Mindanao * ''A. b. boltoni'' Mearns, 1905 – east-central, east Mindanao * ''A. b. tibolii'' Kennedy, RS, Gonzales & Miranda, 1997 – south Mindanao

References

Apo sunbird The Apo sunbird (''Aethopyga boltoni'') is a species of bird in the sunbird family Nectariniidae. It is endemic to the island of Mindanao in the Philippines. Description The Apo sunbird has several distinctions between its male and female count ...

Birds of Mindanao

Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Nectariniidae-stub