Sugarbird | |
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Male Cape sugarbird (Promerops cafer) | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Passeriformes |
Family: | Promeropidae Vigors, 1825 |
Genus: | Promerops Brisson, 1760 |
Type species | |
Merops cafer Linnaeus, 1758
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Species | |
See text. |
The sugarbirds are a small genus, Promerops, and family, Promeropidae, of passerine birds, restricted to southern Africa. In general appearance and habits, they resemble large, long-tailed sunbirds or some of the Australian honeyeaters, but are not closely related to the former and are even more distantly related to the latter. They have brownish plumage, the long downcurved bill typical of passerine nectar feeders, and long tail feathers.