Variable Sunbird
By Charlie • June 30, 2008 • 1 commentVariable Sunbird Cinnyris venustus
Nairobi, Kenya. April 2005 and June 2008
The Variable Sunbird is a small African species with a notably short, sharply curved bill and beautifully irridescent plumage that occurs in woodlands, forests, and gardens from the Gambia in the west of the continent to the Horn of Africa in the east and down to Mozambique in the south (a huge range - according to BirdLife it has an estimated global Extent of Occurrence of 5,200,000 km²). It’s alternative name was Yellow-bellied Sunbird, but races in the west of the range are white-bellied - hence Variable. Fortunately no white-bellied races of Variable Sunbird overlap with other white-bellied sunbird species (such as Oustalet’s and White-bellied), but surely this is a species that will end up being split into a number of closely-related sister species?
A common species in parts of its range, Variable Sunbirds are curious birds and respond quite well to pishing - these three birds were all photographed after coming in to some gentle pishing in dry scrubland outside Nairobi.
Male Variable Sunbird, June 2008
Male Variable Sunbird, June 2008
Female Variable Sunbird, Langata, April 2005
Photographs copyright Charlie Moores
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Such beautiful plumage on the male. Now that’s what I would call a “stud” if I were the female sunbird. ;o)