Exploring Pigeon Valley: The Purple-banded Sunbird

This is the 79th article in an ongoing series that highlights the riches of Pigeon Valley, the urban nature reserve in the heart of Glenwood. The focus of this article is on the Purple-banded Sunbird.

It is strange that I have mentioned the sunbirds only in passing so far – they are such a noticeable element in the Pigeon Valley scenery, with their constant movement in search of nectar and their flashes of colour.

ALSO READ: Exploring Pigeon Valley: The White-eared Barbet

Possibly the most striking is the Purple-banded, a winter visitor to the area.

What delayed me in posting a report on it was the difficulty in getting a photo at the right angle of light – the rich iridescence of the head, and the blue and purple, can easily merge into the black from some angles. It also seldom sits still, like all members of the sunbird family.

ALSO READ: Exploring Pigeon Valley: The Black-backed Puffback

For whatever reason, we seem to get a fair number of females and large numbers of transitional males, which have a spattering of the colours shown by this mature male. These birds come south along the coast in winter, perhaps because of ample food here, and have increased in number in the Durban area in recent years – I seldom saw one in my early birding days.

ALSO READ: Exploring Pigeon Valley: The Spotted Eagle-Owl pair

Flowers like these on the Coral Tree (Erythrina lysistemon) and aloes are sure ways of attracting these beautiful birds to your garden, though they come also to some non-indigenous species.We have six sunbird species at this time of year – Amethyst, Collared, Grey, Olive, Purple-banded and White-bellied.

However, recently Steve Davis recorded in his garden nearby a Greater Double-collared Sunbird, so Pigeon Valley is likely to expand its list of these attractive birds.

Crispin Hemson chairs the Friends of Pigeon Valley, a group that undertakes clearing of alien plants, keeps records of bird and mammal sightings and alerts management to any problems. The Friends have a monthly walk at 7.30am on the second Saturday of each month. Email: friendsofpigeonvalley1@gmail.com.  

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