Purple-rumped Sunbird
Purple-rumped Sunbird
Purple-rumped Sunbird
Male (from Kolkata)
Female on Calliandra, note the whitish throat (from Kolkata, India)
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1) Scientific classification Kingdom: Phylum: Class: Order: Family: Genus: Species: Animalia Chordata Aves Passeriformes Nectariniidae Leptocoma L. zeylonica Binomial name
Purple-rumped Sunbird
2 Leptocoma zeylonica (Linnaeus, 1766)
Synonyms Nectarinia zeylonica Certhia zeylonica Chalcostetha zeylonica Cinnyris sola Arachnechthra zeylonica Cyrtostomus zeylonicus 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 feed. They build a hanging pouch nest made up of cobwebs, lichens and plant material. Males are brightly coloured but females are olive above and yellow to buff below.
Description
Purple-rumped Sunbirds are tiny at less than 10cm long. They have medium-length thin down-curved bills and brush-tipped tubular tongues, both adaptations to their nectar feeding. Purple-rumped Sunbirds are sexually dimorphic. The males have a dark maroon upperside with a blue-green crown that glistens in some angles, bright green shoulder patch and violet/purple rump patch which is generally hidden. The underparts are whitish with dark throat, maroon breast band and purple/violet patch in the throat which is visible in some angles. The iris is generally reddish in color. In the Western Ghats, it can overlap in some areas with the Crimson-backed Sunbird but male of that species has Female at nest. Note the faint supercilium. reddish upperparts, a broader breast band and generally darker eyes. The female has a white throat followed by yellowish breast. The upperside is olive or brownish. The uppertail coverts are black and a weak supercilium is visible. The nominate form is found in Sri Lanka and has a more bluish violet throat whereas the Indian form flaviventris (two other proposed populations whistleri from Maddur in Karnataka and sola from Pondicherry are subsumed) has a more pinkish tinge. Their call is ptsiee ptsit, ptsiee ptsswit or a sharp twittering tityou, titou, trrrtit, tityou....
Purple-rumped Sunbird
Distribution
Purple-rumped Sunbird is a common resident breeder in southern India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. It is found in Gujarat to the west (possibly a recent expansion) and extending into Assam (Hailakandi) or Meghalaya in the east. Records from Myanmar are not certain. This species is found in a variety of habitats with trees, including scrub and cultivation and is usually absent from dense forest.
Immature Male (Kolkata)
Male, showing its white underwing
Behaviour and ecology
They breed through the year and may have two broods, but mainly during the monsoons. The nest is made up of fine plant fibres, cobwebs and is studded on the exterior with lichens, bark pieces, flying seeds and other materials. The nest is constructed by the female alone although the male may fly alongside her. The nest is lined with soft fibres from seeds of Calotropis. The nest is placed on the end of branch and the entrance usually faces a bush. Nests may sometimes be built close to buildings or under open porches. The female stays in the nest at night a couple of day before laying the eggs. The clutch consists of two eggs which are generally oval, pale greenish and white with spots and streaks, becoming more dense at the broad end. Sometimes, eggs may be plain grey without markings as well. When collecting cobwebs they are often seen at windows of homes. The eggs are laid Male at nest mainly in the morning. The eggs are incubated by both the male and female. The incubation period varies from 14 to 16 days. The chicks fledge in about 17 days and continue to be fed by the male for a few days. Helpers, females or possibly juveniles from the previous brood may sometimes assist the parents in feeding the young. Old nests are sometimes reused. Cases of nests being parasitised by the Grey-bellied Cuckoo are known. In one case the cuckoo was fed by an adult sunbird as well as an adult Common Tailorbird.
Purple-rumped Sunbird
They pollinate the flowers of many plant species such as Bruguiera, Woodfordia, Hamelia and Sterculia. They tend to perch while foraging for nectar and do not hover as much as the syntopic Loten's Sunbird. It has been noted that they maintain special scratching posts, where they get rid of pollen and nectar sticking to their head. When the flowers are too deep to probe, they sometimes pierce the base of the flower and rob the nectar. They sometimes visit open crop fields and take honeydew exuded by leafhoppers. The may indulge in dew-bathing, or bathing by sliding in drops of rain collected on large leaves.
References Other sources
Green,EE (1907) Window-tapping by birds. Spolia Zeylanica 5(17):65-66. Ryan,J (1908) The Purple-rumped Sunbird. Spolia Zeylanica 5(18):110-111. Johnson,J Mangalaraj (1970): Bird notes - Purplerumped Sunbird. Indian Forester 96:336-337. Lamba,BS (1978) Nidification of some common Indian birds 13. the Purple-rumped Sunbird, Nectarinia zeylonica Linnaeus. Indian J. For. 1(4):329-344. Prasad, A. (2007) Paternal aggressive behaviour towards offspring in Purple-rumped Sunbird Nectarinia zeylonica J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc 104(1):94 Jardine, William (1864). Natural history of the Nectariniadae (http://www.archive.org/details/ naturalistslibra05jardrich). Henry G. Bohn, London. p.213. Pande,SA (1999). "Nest making and breeding of the Purplerumped Sunbirds (Abstract)". Newsletter for Birdwatchers 38 (6): 102103. Wesley,HD (1991). "Parental care in the purplerumped sunbird" (http://www.archive.org/stream/ NLBW31_34#page/n3/mode/1up). Newsletter for Birdwatchers 31 (3&4): 23. Navarro S J,A (1974). "The adaptive behaviour of the Purplerumped Sunbird" (http://www.archive.org/stream/ NLBW14#page/n71/mode/1up/). Newsletter for Birdwatchers 14 (11): 13. Nair,NR (1963). "Purplerumped Sunbird - nesting season" (http://www.archive.org/stream/NLBW3#page/ n155/mode/1up/). Newsletter for Birdwatchers 3 (10): 1011. Hill,LA (1966). "Purplerumped Sunbird nesting" (http://www.archive.org/stream/NLBW6#page/n118/mode/ 1up). Newsletter for Birdwatchers 6 (10): 56. Neelakantan,KK (1975). "The Purplerumped Sunbird" (http://www.archive.org/stream/NLBW15#page/n8/ mode/1up). Newsletter for Birdwatchers 15 (1): 8.
Purple-rumped Sunbird
External links
Internet Bird Collection (http://ibc.lynxeds.com/species/purple-rumped-sunbird-leptocoma-zeylonica) Call recordings on Xeno-Canto (http://www.xeno-canto.org/asia/species.php?query=Nectarinia+zeylonica)
Other views
Male on Kapok Ceiba pentandra in Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
Male on Kapok Ceiba pentandra in Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
Male on Kapok Ceiba pentandra in Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
Male in Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
Female in Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
Male in Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
Male in Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
In flight
A female over a shoeflower.
Another male bird
Sunbird Male
The Purple Rump visible
A male bird, Kolkata, India
Purple-rumped Sunbird (Male) in Batticaloa, Sri Lanka
Article Sources and Contributors
Article Sources and Contributors
Purple-rumped Sunbird Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=548733916 Contributors: Abigail-II, AntanO, Arpita Dutta, Ash7103, Aviceda, Badjoby, CommonsDelinker, DanielCD, Dipu k, Dysmorodrepanis, First Light, Gypsypkd, Hesperian, Jacob.jose, Jimfbleak, Jmgarg1, JohnCastle, Jojofunny123, MiPe, Muscicapa, Nabarunsadhya, Pvmoutside, Ravivaidya, Rawlife, Rufous-crowned Sparrow, SamuelTheGhost, Sensenmann, Shyamal, Smallweed, Snowmanradio, Template namespace initialisation script, Velasoraptor, Vidnaray, 5 anonymous edits
Image Sources, Licenses and Contributors
file:Purple-rumped Sunbird (Leptocoma zeylonica)- Male at Kolkata I IMG 1808.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Purple-rumped_Sunbird_(Leptocoma_zeylonica)-_Male_at_Kolkata_I_IMG_1808.jpg License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 3.0 Contributors: J.M.Garg file:Purple-rumped_Sunbird_(Female)_I_IMG_7397.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Purple-rumped_Sunbird_(Female)_I_IMG_7397.jpg License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 3.0 Contributors: J.M.Garg file:Status iucn3.1 LC.svg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Status_iucn3.1_LC.svg License: unknown Contributors: Clindberg, Foomin10, Ismukhammed, Kelson, Palosirkka, Pengo, ZxxZxxZ, 8 anonymous edits file:LeptocomaZeylonicaMap.png Source: 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http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Purple-rumped_Sunbird_(Leptocoma_zeylonica)-_Male_on_Kapok_(Ceiba_pentandra)_in_Kolkata_W_IMG_3934.jpg License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 3.0 Contributors: J.M.Garg File:Purple-rumped Sunbird (Leptocoma zeylonica)- Male on Kapok (Ceiba pentandra) in Kolkata W IMG 3933.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Purple-rumped_Sunbird_(Leptocoma_zeylonica)-_Male_on_Kapok_(Ceiba_pentandra)_in_Kolkata_W_IMG_3933.jpg License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 3.0 Contributors: J.M.Garg File:Purple-rumped Sunbird (Leptocoma zeylonica)- Male on Kapok (Ceiba pentandra) in Kolkata W IMG 3910.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Purple-rumped_Sunbird_(Leptocoma_zeylonica)-_Male_on_Kapok_(Ceiba_pentandra)_in_Kolkata_W_IMG_3910.jpg License: Creative 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Contributors: Rajeev B (Rawlife) File:Purplerumpedsunbird.JPG Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Purplerumpedsunbird.JPG License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported Contributors: Ravi Vaidyanathan File:P r sunbird.JPG Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:P_r_sunbird.JPG License: Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Contributors: Ravi Vaidyanathan File:Purple-rumped Sunbird by Nabarun.JPG Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Purple-rumped_Sunbird_by_Nabarun.JPG License: Public Domain Contributors: Nabarunsadhya File:Purple-rumped Sunbird - male.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Purple-rumped_Sunbird_-_male.jpg License: unknown Contributors: User:Anton 17
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