The Seychelles sunbird (''Cinnyris dussumieri'') is a small passerine from the

sunbird Sunbirds and spiderhunters make up the family Nectariniidae of passerine birds. They are small, slender passerines from the Old World, usually with downward-curved bills. Many are brightly coloured, often with iridescent feathers, particularly ...

family. It is named after the French explorer Jean-Jacques Dussumier. It is native to the

Seychelles Seychelles (, ; ), officially the Republic of Seychelles (french: link=no, République des Seychelles; Creole: ''La Repiblik Sesel''), is an archipelagic state consisting of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city, ...

, where it is known as ''kolibri'' in

Seychellois Creole Seychellois Creole (), also known as kreol, is the French-based creole language spoken by the Seychelles Creole people of the Seychelles. It shares national language status with English and French (in contrast to Mauritian and Réunion Creo ...

. This bird is placed in the genus ''Cinnyris'' by some authorities and in '' Nectarinia'' by others. Although this bird has a limited range, it is described as common and has a stable population, so the

International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of nat ...

has rated its conservation status as being of "

least concern A least-concern species is a species that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as evaluated as not being a focus of species conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wild. T ...

Description

It can reach a length from eleven to twelve centimetres. The plumage is dull grey. The male exhibits an iridescent violet-green sheen on its head and throat, brown underparts and yellow or orange tufts under its wings, which are more noticeable in flight. The long slender bill is downcurved. The legs are black. The female is an altogether duller-looking bird with pale grey underparts, and lacks the yellow . The song of the males is high pitched, noisy and harsh, interspersed with various rasping calls. The female also sings.

Distribution

The Seychelles sunbird occurs on most of the larger granitic islands of the Seychelles Bank. It belongs to the endemic landbird species of the Seychelles which had adapted to human made environment changes in the best way. Its habitat consists of forests, gardens, scrubs, and mangroves from sea level to altitudes of .

Diet

When foraging for food, this sunbird is very active, flying to ''

hibiscus ''Hibiscus'' is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family, Malvaceae. The genus is quite large, comprising several hundred species that are native to warm temperate, subtropical and tropical regions throughout the world. Member species ...

'' and other flowers with undulating flight and feeding of nectar and insects.

Reproduction

Breeding is the entire year but the best time is September and October. One single egg is laid in a pear-shaped nest. It consists of grass and moss and is bound with spiderwebs. To protect the nest from cats and rats it hangs usually at the end of a twig.

References

* Robert A. Cheke, Clive Mann & Richard Allen (2001) - ''Sunbirds: A Guide to the Sunbirds, Spiderhunters, Sugarbirds and Flowerpeckers of the World'' (Helm Identification Guides), Yale University Press

External links

Ministry of Environment Seychelles - The Endemic Species of Seychelles (Animals)

Nature Seychelles - Seychelles sunbird
{{DEFAULTSORT:sunbird, Seychelles Seychelles sunbird Birds of Seychelles Seychelles sunbird