Pemba sunbird

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.Template:Sfn

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.Template:Sfn It is also sometimes regarded as conspecific with the violet-breasted sunbird, Cinnyris chalcomelas, which lives on the mainland in Kenya.Template:Sfn Cinnyris pembae is distinguished from these closely related species by being the only purple-banded sunbird on Pemba Island.Template:Sfn It is also significantly smaller than its fellow sunbirds.Template:Sfn 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).Template:Sfn

Description

Males have a wingspan of 51.5-53 mm, while females have a wingspan of 47.5-50 mm.Template:Sfn Adult males display iridescent blue-green coloration on their head and throat with bluish violet coloration on their wings and across their breast.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn 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.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Juveniles resemble adult females with darker chin and throat, broad whitish malar stripe, and mottled grey underparts.Template:Sfn

Behavior

Pemba sunbirds consume nectar and fruits. They have been observed nesting in Wellingtonia trees and consuming the trees' nectar.Template:Sfn Other favored foods include the white berries of Flueggea virosa, into which the Pemba sunbird jabs its beak, while smaller berries are eaten whole.Template:Sfn

Breeding takes place throughout the year with a noted lull between the months of January and April, inclusive.Template:Sfn Males exhibit aggression to each other during breeding season.Template:Sfn Nesting takes place approximately from July through December.Template:Sfn 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."Template:Sfn

The Pemba sunbird is known for a repetitive tslink-tslink-tslink call which is unlike that of its relatives on the mainland.Template:Sfn It can be found in a wide variety of habitats on Pemba Island.Template:Sfn

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