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Purple-rumped Sunbird 1

Purple-rumped Sunbird

Purple-rumped Sunbird

Male (from Kolkata)

Female on Calliandra, note the whitish throat (from Kolkata, India)

Conservation status

Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)

Scientific classification

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Aves

Order: Passeriformes

Family: Nectariniidae

Genus: Leptocoma

Species: L. zeylonica

Binomial name

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Binomial_nomenclaturehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Leptocomahttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nectariniidaehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Passeriformeshttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Aveshttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chordatehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Animalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Biological_classificationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=IUCN_Red_Listhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Least_Concernhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File%3AStatus_iucn3.1_LC.svghttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Conservation_statushttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Calliandrahttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File%3APurple-rumped_Sunbird_%2528Female%2529_I_IMG_7397.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kolkatahttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File%3APurple-rumped_Sunbird_%2528Leptocoma_zeylonica%2529-_Male_at_Kolkata_I_IMG_1808.jpg

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Purple-rumped Sunbird 2

Leptocoma zeylonica

(Linnaeus, 1766)

Synonyms

Nectarinia zeylonica

Certhia zeylonica

Chalcostetha zeylonica

Cinnyris sola

Arachnechthra zeylonica

Cyrtostomus zeylonicus

The Purple-rumped Sunbird (Leptocoma zeylonica) is a sunbird endemic to the Indian Subcontinent. Like other

sunbirds, they are small in size, feeding mainly on nectar but sometimes take insects, particularly when feeding

young. They can hover for short durations but usually perch to feed. They build a hanging pouch nest made up of

cobwebs, lichens and plant material. Males are brightly coloured but females are olive above and yellow to buff

below.

Description

Female at nest. Note the faint

supercilium.

Purple-rumped Sunbirds are tiny at less than 10 cm long. They have

medium-length thin down-curved bills and brush-tipped tubular tongues, both

adaptations to their nectar feeding. Purple-rumped Sunbirds are sexually

dimorphic. The males have a dark maroon upperside with a blue-green crown

that glistens in some angles, bright green shoulder patch and violet/purple rump

patch which is generally hidden. The underparts are whitish with dark throat,

maroon breast band and purple/violet patch in the throat which is visible in some

angles. The iris is generally reddish in color. In the Western Ghats, it can overlap

in some areas with the Crimson-backed Sunbird but male of that species has

reddish upperparts, a broader breast band and generally darker eyes. The female

has a white throat followed by yellowish breast. The upperside is olive or

brownish. The uppertail coverts are black and a weak supercilium is visible. The nominate form is found in Sri

Lanka and has a more bluish violet throat whereas the Indian form flaviventris (two other proposed populations

whistleri from Maddur in Karnataka and sola from Pondicherry are subsumed) has a more pinkish tinge.

Their call isptsiee ptsit, ptsiee ptsswit or a sharp twittering tityou, titou, trrrtit, tityou....

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Crimson-backed_Sunbirdhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Western_Ghatshttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sexual_dimorphismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sexual_dimorphismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File%3APurple-rumped_Sunbird_%28Leptocoma_zeylonica%29-_female_at_nest_in_Hyderabad_W2_IMG_0297.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lichenhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nectarhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sunbirdhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Synonym_%28taxonomy%29http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File%3ALeptocomaZeylonicaMap.pnghttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Carolus_Linnaeus

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Purple-rumped Sunbird 3

Distribution

Immature Male (Kolkata)

Male, showing its white underwing

Purple-rumped Sunbird is a common resident breeder in southern

India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. It is found in Gujarat to the west

(possibly a recent expansion) and extending into Assam (Hailakandi)

or Meghalaya in the east. Records from Myanmar are not certain. This

species is found in a variety of habitats with trees, including scrub and

cultivation and is usually absent from dense forest.

Male at nest

Behaviour and ecology

They breed through the year and may have two broods, but mainly

during the monsoons. The nest is made up of fine plant fibres, cobwebs

and is studded on the exterior with lichens, bark pieces, flying seeds

and other materials. The nest is constructed by the female alone

although the male may fly alongside her. The nest is lined with soft

fibres from seeds of Calotropis. The nest is placed on the end of

branch and the entrance usually faces a bush. Nests may sometimes be

built close to buildings or under open porches. The female stays in the

nest at night a couple of day before laying the eggs. The clutch consists

of two eggs which are generally oval, pale greenish and white with

spots and streaks, becoming more dense at the broad end. Sometimes,

eggs may be plain grey without markings as well. When collecting

cobwebs they are often seen at windows of homes. The eggs are laid

mainly in the morning. The eggs are incubated by both the male and

female. The incubation period varies from 14 to 16 days. The chicks

fledge in about 17 days and continue to be fed by the male for a few days. Helpers, females or possibly juveniles

from the previous brood may sometimes assist the parents in feeding the young. Old nests are sometimes reused.

Cases of nests being parasitised by the Grey-bellied Cuckoo are known. In one case the cuckoo was fed by an adult

sunbird as well as an adult Common Tailorbird.

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Common_Tailorbirdhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Grey-bellied_Cuckoohttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Helpers_at_the_nesthttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Calotropishttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File%3APurple_Rumped_Sunbird_%2833%29.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Myanmarhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bangladeshhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sri_Lankahttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File%3APurple_Rumped_Sunbird-Male_%286%29.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File%3APurple_Rumped_Sunbird_%28Immature_Male%29_I_Picture_188.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kolkata

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Purple-rumped Sunbird 4

They pollinate the flowers of many plant species such as Bruguiera,

Woodfordia,Hamelia and Sterculia. They tend to perch while foraging

for nectar and do not hover as much as the syntopic Loten's Sunbird. It

has been noted that they maintain special scratching posts, where they

get rid of pollen and nectar sticking to their head. When the flowers are

too deep to probe, they sometimes pierce the base of the flower and robthe nectar. They sometimes visit open crop fields and take honeydew

exuded by leafhoppers.

The may indulge in dew-bathing, or bathing by sliding in drops of rain

collected on large leaves.

References

Other sources

Green,EE (1907) Window-tapping by birds. Spolia Zeylanica 5(17):65-66.

Ryan,J (1908) The Purple-rumped Sunbird. Spolia Zeylanica 5(18):110-111.

Johnson,J Mangalaraj (1970): Bird notes - Purplerumped Sunbird. Indian Forester 96:336-337.

Lamba,BS (1978) Nidification of some common Indian birds 13. the Purple-rumped Sunbird,Nectarinia

zeylonica Linnaeus. Indian J. For. 1(4):329-344.

Prasad, A. (2007) Paternal aggressive behaviour towards offspring in Purple-rumped Sunbird Nectarinia

zeylonica J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc 104(1):94

Jardine, William (1864).Natural history of the Nectariniadae(http://www.archive.org/details/

naturalistslibra05jardrich). Henry G. Bohn, London. p. 213.

Pande,SA (1999). "Nest making and breeding of the Purplerumped Sunbirds (Abstract)".Newsletter for

Birdwatchers38 (6): 102103.

Wesley,HD (1991). "Parental care in the purplerumped sunbird" (http://www.archive.org/stream/

NLBW31_34#page/n3/mode/1up).Newsletter for Birdwatchers31 (3&4): 23.

Navarro S J,A (1974). "The adaptive behaviour of the Purplerumped Sunbird" (http://www.archive.org/stream/

NLBW14#page/n71/mode/1up/).Newsletter for Birdwatchers14 (11): 13.

Nair,NR (1963). "Purplerumped Sunbird - nesting season" (http://www.archive.org/stream/NLBW3#page/

n155/mode/1up/).Newsletter for Birdwatchers3 (10): 1011.

Hill,LA (1966). "Purplerumped Sunbird nesting" (http://www.archive.org/stream/NLBW6#page/n118/mode/

1up).Newsletter for Birdwatchers6 (10): 56.

Neelakantan,KK (1975). "The Purplerumped Sunbird" (http:/

/

www.

archive.

org/

stream/

NLBW15#page/

n8/mode/1up).Newsletter for Birdwatchers15 (1): 8.

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Newsletter_for_Birdwatchershttp://www.archive.org/stream/NLBW15#page/n8/mode/1uphttp://www.archive.org/stream/NLBW15#page/n8/mode/1uphttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Newsletter_for_Birdwatchershttp://www.archive.org/stream/NLBW6#page/n118/mode/1uphttp://www.archive.org/stream/NLBW6#page/n118/mode/1uphttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Newsletter_for_Birdwatchershttp://www.archive.org/stream/NLBW3#page/n155/mode/1up/http://www.archive.org/stream/NLBW3#page/n155/mode/1up/http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Newsletter_for_Birdwatchershttp://www.archive.org/stream/NLBW14#page/n71/mode/1up/http://www.archive.org/stream/NLBW14#page/n71/mode/1up/http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Newsletter_for_Birdwatchershttp://www.archive.org/stream/NLBW31_34#page/n3/mode/1uphttp://www.archive.org/stream/NLBW31_34#page/n3/mode/1uphttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Newsletter_for_Birdwatchershttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Newsletter_for_Birdwatchershttp://www.archive.org/details/naturalistslibra05jardrichhttp://www.archive.org/details/naturalistslibra05jardrichhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sterculiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hameliahttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Woodfordiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bruguierahttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ornithophilyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File%3AMale_feeding_the_chicks.jpg

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Purple-rumped Sunbird 5

External links

Internet Bird Collection (http://ibc.lynxeds.com/species/purple-rumped-sunbird-leptocoma-zeylonica)

Call recordings on Xeno-Canto (http://www.xeno-canto.org/asia/species.php?query=Nectarinia+zeylonica)

Other views

Male on Kapok Ceiba pentandra

in Kolkata, West Bengal, India.

Male on Kapok Ceiba

pentandra in Kolkata, West

Bengal, India.

Male on Kapok Ceiba

pentandra in Kolkata,

West Bengal, India.

Male in Kolkata, West

Bengal, India.

Female in Kolkata, West

Bengal, India.

Male in Kolkata, West Bengal,

India.

Male in Kolkata, West

Bengal, India.

In flight

A female over a shoeflower. Another male bird Sunbird Male The Purple Rump visible

A male bird, Kolkata, India Purple-rumped Sunbird (Male) in

Batticaloa, Sri Lanka

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File%3APurple-rumped_Sunbird_-_male.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sri_Lankahttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Batticaloahttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File%3APurple-rumped_Sunbird_by_Nabarun.JPGhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File%3AP_r_sunbird.JPGhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File%3APurplerumpedsunbird.JPGhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File%3APurpleRumpedSunBird.JPGhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File%3APurple_rumped_sunbird_female.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File%3APurpleRumpedSunbirdInFlight.JPGhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File%3APurple_rumped_Sunbird_%28Male%29-_I2-_Kolkata_IMG_7714.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=West_Bengalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=West_Bengalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kolkatahttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File%3APurple_rumped_Sunbird_%28Male%29_I_IMG_0835_filtered.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=West_Bengalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kolkatahttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File%3APurple-rumped_Sunbird_%28Female%29_I_IMG_9244.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=West_Bengalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=West_Bengalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kolkatahttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File%3APurple-rumped_Sunbird_%28Male%29_I2_IMG_7524.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=West_Bengalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=West_Bengalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kolkatahttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File%3APurple-rumped_Sunbird_%28Leptocoma_zeylonica%29-_Male_on_Kapok_%28Ceiba_pentandra%29_in_Kolkata_W_IMG_3910.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=West_Bengalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kolkatahttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ceiba_pentandrahttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ceiba_pentandrahttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File%3APurple-rumped_Sunbird_%28Leptocoma_zeylonica%29-_Male_on_Kapok_%28Ceiba_pentandra%29_in_Kolkata_W_IMG_3933.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=West_Bengalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=West_Bengalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kolkatahttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ceiba_pentandrahttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ceiba_pentandrahttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File%3APurple-rumped_Sunbird_%28Leptocoma_zeylonica%29-_Male_on_Kapok_%28Ceiba_pentandra%29_in_Kolkata_W_IMG_3934.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=West_Bengalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kolkatahttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ceiba_pentandrahttp://www.xeno-canto.org/asia/species.php?query=Nectarinia+zeylonicahttp://ibc.lynxeds.com/species/purple-rumped-sunbird-leptocoma-zeylonica

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