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Birds of Wildcliff Nature Reserve
Dedicated to
plant and wildlife conservation in South Africa's Cape Floral Kingdom
 Greater Double-Collared
Sunbird (Cinnyris afer)
Description. Male
(at right, outside Talari) has a metallic green head, neck and upper
back; middle and lower back is brown; uppertail coverts blue.
Thin blue band on upper breast followed by a broad red band that
extends to mid-belly; lower belly and flanks gray. Female has
gray-brown upperparts and yellow-gray underparts. Bill of both
sexes is long and decurved. Distinguished from sympatric Southern
Double-Collared Sunbird by larger size and longer, heavier bill.
Male of Southern Double-Collared Sunbird has a much thinner red breast
band.
Song/Call. Call a
harsh, often repeated “tchut, tchut, tchut;” song is a fast, twittering
warble with notes clearly annunciated.
Habitat. Endemic
African resident found in coastal grassveld, open bushveld, montane and
protea savanna, fynbos, evergreen scrub forest edges and suburban
gardens.
Behavior. Often
found in pairs, but also singly, small family groups or in larger
mixed-species assemblages at flowering trees (e.g. Schotia, Erythrina, Tecoma hedges, aloe clumps).
At such assemblages there is much chasing and harrying of individuals
whether sunbirds or other species. This activity seems to be not
so much competition for females but points towards the natural
excitability of sunbirds. Males in competition for female will
often perch very close to one another and trade bursts of song back and
forth. Flight almost never straight but include sudden changes of
direction and elevation.
Diet. Predominantly
nectar but will take insects and spiders. Drinks nectar of Erica, Aloe, Protea, Schotia, Erythrina, Cotyledon, Tecomaria, Hibiscus, etc. Ants, flies,
moths, caterpillars and small beetles are eaten regularly as well as
many species of spiders. Has been observed probing bill into
grapes and overripe figs presumably to drink the juices.
Reproduction.
Solitary, monogamous nester. Male defends a territory but usually
only to within a few meters of the nest. Regularly triple-brooded
and will rear each brood in quick succession, building a new nest for
each brood. A courting male will sing loudly from prominent
perches within his territory. Courtship displays are highly
developed for this species of sunbird. Male will test female
receptiveness by flying straight at her or making repeated dashes after
her. Female will warble to signal receptivity towards a given
male, which then encourages the male to engage in more complex and
varied displays. Female alone builds the nest while male will
mate-guard and sing while she builds. He will accompany her on
trips to gather nesting material, often chasing and harassing
her. Nest is a rather untidy, long-oval, domed bag with the
entrance at the side top. Most often the nest is built into and
securely attached to a leaf cluster at the top of a shrub or tree and
usually from 1-6.5 meters above the ground. A clutch of 2 eggs
can be laid anytime of the year (Eastern Cape), mainly from October to
November. Incubation by female only. Incubation period is
14-15 days and after hatching the female does the bulk of the
feeding. Nestling period lasts 13-15 days. Nests are
commonly parasitized by Klaas’s Cuckoo (Chrysococcyx klaas).
Predators.
Bird-eating hawks and falcons: feral and wild cats.
On Wildcliff. Seen
in the trees around Talari and among the proteas.
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Female
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Male
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Links & References
- Wildcliff
Bird
List
- Birding
Resources Page
- The Sunbirds of
Southern Africa, also the sugarbirds, the white-eyes and the Spotted
Creeper; by CJ. Skead. Publ: Cape Town, Amsterdam, S.A. Bird Book Fund,
1967.
- C. H. Fry. Cinnyris afer. In: Fry, C.H., Keith
S. and Urban K, eds. The Birds of
Africa. Vol. 6. London: Academic Press, 2000. Pp. 247-250.
- Sinclair, Ian, and
Peter Ryan. Birds of Africa
South of the Sahara. Princeton: NJ: Princeton University Press,
2003.
- Sinclair, Ian, Phil
Hockey and Warwick Tarboton. Birds
of Southern Africa. 3rd ed. Princeton,
NJ: Princeton University Press, 2002.
Thanks to Conan Guard
for this page.
Based on sightings in
the immediate area, as many as 160
bird species may be seen at Wildcliff. If
you are interested in conducting an ornithological survey or study at
Wildcliff, please complete the Application Form on the research page.
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