Crimson Sunbird

 

Male Crimson Sunbird

         Introduction of Crimson Sunbird

    The crimson sunbird (Scientific name: Aethopyga siparaja) is a species of bird which belongs to the sunbird family. Crimson sunbirds are small bird. Average length of  Crimson Sunbirds average is  11 cm or 4.3 inches.

           How to Identify Crimson Sunbird

   The adult male has a crimson colored breast and throat and its back is maroon-colored. The rump is yellow and the abdomen is yellowish-olive.  He has deep blue moustachial stripes. The  Male has a bluish-green tail with white tips to the outer tail feathers. But this long central tail feathers are absent in  the sub-species Aethopyga siparaja. nicobarica of the Nicobar Islands.  It's bill is medium-length which is thin and  curved downward.  Tongue is brush-tipped and tubular. These adaptation is due to their nectar feeding. 

   The adult female has an olive-green back, yellowish chest and white tips to the outer tail feathers.

   Juvenile male looks  like adult female, but has scarlet chin, centre of throat and breast, mantle and shoulders and yellow patch on back and uppertail.

Female Crimson Sunbird

          Habits and Habitats

   Flight of Crimson sunbird is fast and direct. like hummingbird most species of Crimson sunbird can take nectar by hovering but most of the time they perch to feed. The males establish feeding territories. They aggressively defend the flower bearing shrubs and trees; particularly those plants which has a lot of nectar are defended more vigorously. This species are found in forest and in cultivated areas. An altitudinal movements are seen in  rainy season. In some areas they move to thelower altitude during the monsoons and move to the higher altitude  after the rains.

          Distribution

   The crimson sunbird is a resident bird of tropical southern Asia. It is distributed from India, through Nepal, Bangladesh and Myanmar to Indonesia. It has several sub-species

 Sub-species

        Aethopyga siparaja siparaja 

  This species is found in  Malay Peninsula (south of Narathiwat), Sumatra (except Aceh) and satellite islands,  Borneo and associated small islands (except Natunas).

        Aethopyga siparaja labecula 

  In India, this species is found in  North West Bengal, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland and  Manipur. Besides it is also found in  Bhutan,  South of Bangladesh  to Chittagong Hills, east to Myanmar (except in the south), Southern China (south Yunnan), northwestern Laos and northwestern Vietnam.

         Aethopyga siparaja cara 

  This species is found in South Myanmar and Thailand

        Aethopyga siparaja nicobarica 

   This species is found in South Nicobar Island (Great and Little Nicobars, Kondal and Meroe Islands)

       Aethopyga siparaja tonkinensis 

   This species is found in Northeastern Vietnam and south China (southeastern Yunnan east to western Guangdong

       Aethopyga siparaja owstoni 

   This species is found in Naozhou Island (southwestern Guangdong), in south China

       Aethopyga siparaja mangini 

This species is found in Southeastern Thailand and central and south Indochina

       Aethopyga siparaja insularis 

   This species is found in Phu Quoc Island, off southern Cambodia

        Aethopyga siparaja trangensis 

   This species is found in Southern Thailand and northern Malay Peninsula

        Aethopyga siparaja natunae 

   This species is found in Natuna Island

        Aethopyga siparaja heliogona 

  This species is found in Java

        Aethopyga siparaja flavostriata 

  This species is found in Northern Sulawesi

        Aethopyga siparaja beccarii 

  This species is found in Central, south and southeastern Sulawesi, Kabaena, Muna and Butung

        Aethopyga siparaja magnifica

  This species is found in West-central Philippine Islands, Marinduque, Tablas, Sibuyan, Panay, Negros, Cebu

        Aethopyga siparaja seheriae

  This species is found in Himalayan foothills in India from W Himachal Pradesh (Kangra) east to Sikkim and Bhutan, south to northern West Bengal, eastern Bihar,eastern Madhya Pradesh and Orissa (possibly northern Andhra Pradesh), and western Bangladesh.

       Call

   Its call is described as a chee-cheewee.

      Food

  Main food of Crimson Sunbirds mostly is nectar. But it also   take insects particularly during the breeding season to feed their young. They prefer the nectar of  flowers with the highest sugar content. and try to find out those areas containing flowers with high energy nectar.

            Breeding and Nesting

   Both the male and female Crimson Sunbird make  a purse-shaped suspended nest on thin branch of a low tree or shrub.  Later the female  cover the nest  by moss. 

   The peak nesting season is December to March. The average clutch consists of 2 - 3 eggs. Eggs are   mostly incubated by the female for about 18 - 19 days. The male assists with feeding the young.