Chirping with Kloof Conservancy – Southern Black Sunbird

COMMONLY known as the Amethyst Sunbird, this species is quite easy to identify because of its unique black colouration and bright crimson throat. They often provide good opportunities for a photograph when taking nectar from aloes but, even so, the males are quite difficult to capture due to their dark and iridescent colours that tend to confuse camera settings!

Description
As with all sunbirds, this species is sexually dimorphic (the males and females have distinctly different coloured feathers). The males appear a dark black but you will notice the brilliant iridescent colours, that include green and maroon, in bright sunlight. A diagnostic feature for this species is the iridescent red to purple throat. The feet, legs and bill are black.

It can sometimes be confused with the Scarlet-chested Sunbird, which has a large scarlet coloured patch on the chest, but this species is rarely seen in our area.

Females are dull coloured, mainly drab brown upper parts with off-white underparts which are often streaked with drab brown. The female has a pale eyebrow which distinguishes it from other similar species of sunbird but the distinction is very fine and difficult to the untrained eye.

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Distribution
This is a sub-Saharan species found quite extensively across the equator area and then along the east coast of Africa. In South Africa, it is found along the eastern parts of the country from the Western Cape through to the Limpopo Province.

Habitat
It is an evergreen forest species and is seldom seen outside of wooded areas, although it will move to patches of aloes for feeding. It can be found in most well-wooded gardens in the Upper Highway area.

Feeding
These are essentially nectar feeders and can often be spotted taking nectar from the flowers of aloes and Coral Trees. They will also take insects both on the wing or by picking them off from leaves and branches.

Breeding
Amethyst Sunbirds are monogamous and pair for life. The nest is built by the female, and it usually hangs from a branch of a tree where it is very tightly secured. The nest is oval with a side entry. The nest is usually well-lined with soft plants and feathers and sometimes ‘decorated’ with lichen on the outside. They can lay eggs at any time of the year but the most prolific period in our area is October to February. Incubation is done by the female and the both adults feed the chicks.

Predators and threats
This is not a threatened species and, in fact, may have increased in population size mainly due to well-treed gardens in suburbs like those found in the Highway area where there is plenty of nectar available from indigenous plant species.

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Local information
Quite common in the Highway Area, it can be spotted in most gardens where there is nectar available. They are often seen in pairs and have very fast and erratic flights with many turns and jinks!

Interesting facts
Sunbirds have little or no sense of smell and depend solely on their keen sense of sight to forage for flowers.

The Shona people of Zimbabwe tell of a legend that a pair of sunbirds were kept by the goddess Dzivaguru who controlled the daily appearance of the sun. She would release the sunbirds each day so that the sun could emerge and reverse the cycle at dusk.

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