Bird of the Week – Olive sunbird

IN South Africa, the olive sunbird is common from East London along the coastal belt northwards into Mozambique.

Usually solitary, they also form loosely gregarious groups of up to 20 birds where there is a good nectar source.

They like evergreen and riverine forest, coastal bush, parks, gardens and banana plantations. Perching for long periods in one place, they hawk insects in flight, foraging also in all layers of the forest. When feeding on nectar, they dart quickly from flower to flower.

These sunbirds are easily overlooked, except for their distinct voice. Up to 10 males may sing in chorus from the same tree. Starting slowly, then speeding up and falling in pitch near the end ‘tip tip tip ti-tu – tu – tu -tiup, tippy tuti’. There is also an individual cricket-like call ‘slik slik slik’ which can go on for many minutes on end and an alarm call in flight ‘tsip tsip’.

LISTEN:

Breeding takes place from September to January. The nest is a long, untidy oval of grass, plant fibres, twigs, moss and leaves bound with spider web. The nest has a side top entrance with a porch, and is built a metre or two above ground on a drooping branch. Two white, buff or bluish eggs are usually laid. Incubation is 16 days and nestlings remain for 14 days when they are fed by mother only.

There is no tribal name and in Afrikaans, it is known as die olyfsuikerbekkie.