Olive-back Sunbird (Nectarinia jugularis)
Nesting Sunbirds in the Firecracker plant
Here in our house we have a lot of flowers because of the cool atmosphere. A particular plant we have is the Firecracker plant which may have as many as thousands of flowers. Small and tubular flowers are perfect for Olive Back Sunbird. And so the birder in me was hungry for some bird shots I aimed at the male Olive Back Sunbird while it gave out its loud territorial call. This way it sort of warded off other Olive Back Sunbird pairs.
Armed with a feeble 90-300mm f/4.0-5.6 with no absolutely no image stabilizer I aimed away at that tiny zipping Avian beauty. *Click* and another *click!* and then I think I got it.
Male Olive back Sunbird
Since I am merely using a 300mm I had to be really careful with shooting because I was very near the bird. One wrong move and my chance would fly away. While waiting a little longer the bird decided to do its territorial song.
Sunbird Singing
As if it couldn’t get any cuter the cute lil thing decided to show its beautiful throat.
Stretching it a little further
I also chanced upon a young female within the area (I know its young because I saw the dominant male feeding it).
Far away Female
The ecosystem would not be complete if there were no possible predators: the Long Tailed Shrike (Lanius scach)
The Long Tailed Shrike
The Olive Back Sunbird are actually related to the hummingbirds and also have that peculiar ability to hover and fly backwards. Them being part of the nectar feeding group of birds, they have a strong tendency to forage among flowers. They are territorial birds (as I’ve seen one male noisily chasing other males of the same species). They also go by pairs nesting in bushes and other secure areas. Contrary to what people think (that they feed only on nectar), the Sunbird lives not on nectar alone. It will feed on insects too to supply for their other needs.
I’ve always enjoyed these beautiful backyard birds as they are what greet me early in the morning with their loud tweets. Should you want to see them in your backyard you can try planting more flowers as these are actually common in the Philippines and South East Asia.
Related posts:
- Variable Dwarf Kingfisher (Ceyx lepidus)
- Brahminy Kite (Haliastur Indus)
- Pacific Swallow (Hirundo tahitica)
- Dollar Bird (Eurystomus orientalis)
- Forest Adventure
9 Responses to “Olive-back Sunbird (Nectarinia jugularis)”
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Is that bird what they call the tamsi? I think there are some of those birds on our front yard, foraging on the flowers of the gemelina tree. Very cute little birds.
The female does’nt have that blue color on its belly. In fact one time they nested on our avocado.
Yep thats the one
Tamsi. Super cute and beautiful
beautiful! i wish i’d get to see other birds in our backyard too save for the common maya. =)
Wow…It’s really cool beautiful birds like those just land on potted plants of your house!
Thanks
but i so really need an L lens
Yep thats the one
Tamsi. Super cute and beautiful
Yeah! that’s a TAMSI as we call it locally. Love the capture! Keep it up dude!
Thanks bai
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