Purple-rumped sunbird

Purple-rumped sunbird
Male
Female on Calliandra, note the whitish throat
Calls
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Nectariniidae
Genus: Leptocoma
Species:
L. zeylonica
Binomial name
Leptocoma zeylonica
(Linnaeus, 1766)
Distribution of purple-rumped sunbird
Synonyms
  • Certhia zeylonica Linnaeus, 1766
  • Arachnechthra zeylonica (Linnaeus, 1766)
  • Chalcostetha zeylonica (Linnaeus, 1766)
  • Cinnyris sola Vieillot, 1819
  • Cyrtostomus zeylonicus (Linnaeus, 1766)
  • Nectarinia zeylonica (Linnaeus, 1766)

The purple-rumped sunbird (Leptocoma zeylonica) is a sunbird endemic to the Indian Subcontinent. Like other sunbirds, they are small in size, feeding mainly on nectar but sometimes take insects, particularly when feeding young. They can hover for short durations but usually perch to lap nectar from flowers. They build a hanging pouch nest made up of cobwebs, lichens and plant material. Males are contrastingly coloured but females are olive above and yellow to buff below. Males are easily distinguished from the purple sunbird by the light coloured underside while females can be told apart from males by their whitish throats.

  1. ^ BirdLife International (2016). "Leptocoma zeylonica". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T22717782A94551632. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22717782A94551632.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.