| Purple-rumped Sunbird |
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| 01 | Is endemic to the Indian Subcontinent. |
| 02 | Small in size, feeding mainly on nectar but sometimes take insects, particularly when feeding young. |
| 03 | Can hover for short durations but usually perch to feed. |
| 04 | They build a hanging pouch nest made up of cobwebs, lichens and plant material. |
| 05 | Males are brightly coloured but females are olive above and yellow to buff below. |
| 06 | Are tiny at less than 10 cm long. |
| 07 | They have medium-length thin down-curved bills and brush-tipped tubular tongues, both adaptations to their nectar feeding. |
| 08 | Purple-rumped Sunbirds are sexually dimorphic. |
| 09 | 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. |
| 10 | The underparts are whitish with dark throat, maroon breast band and purple/violet patch in the throat which is visible in some angles. |
| 11 | The iris is generally reddish in color. |
| 12 | The female has a white throat followed by yellowish breast. |
| 13 | The upperside is olive or brownish. |
| 14 | The uppertail coverts are black and a weak supercilium is visible. |
| 15 | Their call is ptsiee ptsit, ptsiee ptsswit or a sharp twittering tityou, titou, trrrtit, tityou.... |
| 16 | Is a common resident breeder in southern India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. |
| 17 | Found in a variety of habitats with trees, including scrub and cultivation and is usually absent from dense forest. |
| 18 | Breed through the year and may have two broods, but mainly during the monsoons. |
| 19 | 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. |
| 20 | The nest is constructed by the female alone although the male may fly alongside her. |
| 21 | The nest is lined with soft fibres |
| 22 | The nest is placed on the end of branch and the entrance usually faces a bush. |
| 23 | Nests may sometimes be built close to buildings or under open porches. |
| 24 | The female stays in the nest at night a couple of day before laying the eggs. |
| 25 | 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. |
| 26 | Sometimes, eggs may be plain grey without markings as well. |
| 27 | The eggs are laid mainly in the morning. |
| 28 | The eggs are incubated by both the male and female. |
| 29 | The incubation period varies from 14 to 16 days. |
| 30 | The chicks fledge in about 17 days and continue to be fed by the male for a few days. |
| 31 | Helpers, females or possibly juveniles from the previous brood may sometimes assist the parents in feeding the young. |
| 32 | Old nests are sometimes reused. |
| 33 | Cases of nests being parasitised by the Grey-bellied Cuckoo are known. |
| 34 | They pollinate the flowers of many plant. |
| 35 | They tend to perch while foraging for nectar |
| 36 | It has been noted that they maintain special scratching posts, where they get rid of pollen and nectar sticking to their head. |
| 37 | When the flowers are too deep to probe, they sometimes pierce the base of the flower and rob the nectar. |
| 38 | They sometimes visit open crop fields and take honeydew exuded by leafhoppers. |
| 39 | The may indulge in dew-bathing, or bathing by sliding in drops of rain collected on large leaves. |
