Biology:Pemba sunbird
| Pemba sunbird | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Nectariniidae |
| Genus: | Cinnyris |
| Species: | C. pembae
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| Binomial name | |
| Cinnyris pembae Reichenow, 1905
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| Range in Tanzania | |
| Synonyms | |
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Nectarinia pembae | |
The Pemba sunbird (Cinnyris pembae) is a species of bird in the sunbird family. It is endemic to Pemba Island, Tanzania.
Taxonomy
Anton Reichenow first described the Pemba sunbird in 1905.[2]
The taxonomy of the Pemba sunbird has been the subject of debate. Pakenham regarded it as a subspecies of the purple-banded sunbird under the name Cinnyris bifasciatus pembae.[3] It is also sometimes regarded as conspecific with the violet-breasted sunbird, Cinnyris chalcomelas, which lives on the mainland in Kenya.[4] Cinnyris pembae is distinguished from these closely related species by being the only purple-banded sunbird on Pemba Island.[5] It is also significantly smaller than its fellow sunbirds.[5] Hermann Grote regarded the Pemba sunbird to be identical in coloration, but about half the size, of Cinnyris voeltzkowi (today recognized as a subspecies of the Malagasy green sunbird, Cinnyris notatus).[6]
Description
Males have a wingspan of 51.5-53 mm, while females have a wingspan of 47.5-50 mm.[7] Adult males display iridescent blue-green coloration on their head and throat with bluish violet coloration on their wings and across their breast.[7][8] Females have a gray-brown coloration on their head and wings, a pale yellow underside with blurry streaking and a small pale yellow lateral streak posterior to the eye.[7][8] Juveniles resemble adult females with darker chin and throat, broad whitish malar stripe, and mottled grey underparts.[5]
Behavior
Pemba sunbirds consume nectar and fruits. They have been observed nesting in Wellingtonia trees and consuming the trees' nectar.[3] Other favored foods include the white berries of Flueggea virosa, into which the Pemba sunbird jabs its beak, while smaller berries are eaten whole.[5]
Breeding takes place throughout the year with a noted lull between the months of January and April, inclusive.[9] Males exhibit aggression to each other during breeding season.[5] Nesting takes place approximately from July through December.[3] Greenish-white eggs with brown streaks are laid in a "bag or purse-shaped nest suspended 1-2 m up from shrub or amongst foliage."[5]
The Pemba sunbird is known for a repetitive tslink-tslink-tslink call which is unlike that of its relatives on the mainland.[10] It can be found in a wide variety of habitats on Pemba Island.[5]
References
- ↑ BirdLife International.
- ↑ Reichenow 1918, p. 98.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Pakenham 1936, p. 268.
- ↑ Stevenson & Fanshawe 2002, p. 454.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 Cheke, Mann & Allen 2001, p. 124.
- ↑ Grote 1930, p. 12.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Clancey & Williams 1967, p. 29.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 eBird.
- ↑ Pakenham 1943, p. 187.
- ↑ Archer & Turner 1993, p. 96.
Bibliography
Articles
- Archer, A. L.; Turner, D. A. (1993). "Notes on the endemic species and some additional new birds occurring on Pemba Island, Tanzania". Scopus 16: 94–98. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/part/118197.
- Clancey, PA; Williams, John (1967). "The systematics of the Little Purple-banded Sunbird Cinnyris bifasciatus (Shaw), with notes on its allies.". Durban Museum Novitates 5: 27–41.
- Grote, Hermann (1930). "Über de Formenkreis des Laniarius barbarus" (in de). Falco 26: 8–13.
- Pakenham, R. H. W. (1936). "Field-notes on the Birds of Zanzibar and Pemba". Ibis 78 (2): 249–272. doi:10.1111/j.1474-919X.1936.tb03372.x. ISSN 0019-1019.
- Pakenham, R. H. W. (1943). "Field-notes on the Birds of Zanzibar and Pemba". Ibis 85 (2): 165–189. doi:10.1111/j.1474-919X.1943.tb03826.x. ISSN 0019-1019.
- Reichenow, Anton (1918). "Vogelarten des afrikanischen Faunengebiets, die von 1905–1914 neu beschrieben worden sind" (in de). Journal für Ornithologie 66: 61–110. doi:10.1007/BF02251725.
Books
- Cheke, Robert A.; Mann, Clive F.; Allen, Richard (2001). Sunbirds: A Guide to the Sunbirds, Flowerpeckers, Spiderhunters and Sugarbirds of the World. London: Christopher Helm Publishers. ISBN 978-1-8734-0380-8.
- Stevenson, Terry; Fanshawe, John (2002). Birds of East Africa: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi. London: T. & A. D. Poyser. ISBN 0-85661-079-8.
Webpages
- "Pemba Sunbird - eBird". https://ebird.org/species/pemsun2/KE.
- BirdLife International (2024). "Cinnyris pembae". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2024. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2024-2.RLTS.T22718017A263921639.en. https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22718017/263921639. Retrieved 20 June 2025.
Wikidata ☰ Q1923360 entry
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