This tiny bird from the Middle East and sub-Saharan Africa is a local breeding resident in gardens, orchards, dry woodlands, and vegetated wadis.
Males don brilliant glossy metallic blue-green colors & pectoral orange-red tufts, while females are duller grey-brown with a bluish-green rump.
A long down-curved bill specially adapted for nectar sipping. Their favorite menu is fruit, seeds, insects, and spiders. It is the only nectarivorous bird in Israel and the Mediterranean areas. Females build purse-shaped nests suspended from branches using spiderwebs, twigs, grass, and leaves. Males don’t contribute to nest-building and incubation. Calls include high-pitching metallic notes and sometimes mimicry of other bird species.
Distribution
Cameroon
Central Af. Rep.
DR Congo (Kinshasa)
Egypt
Israel
Jordan
Lebanon
Oman
Saudi Arabia
South Sudan
Sudan
Syria
Uganda
YemenAnything we've missed?
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Terrestrial / Aquatic
Altricial / Precocial
Polygamous / Monogamous
Dimorphic (size) / Monomorphic
Active: Diurnal / Nocturnal
Social behavior: Solitary / Pack / Herd
Diet: Carnivore / Herbivore / Omnivore / Piscivorous / Insectivore
Migratory: Yes / No
Domesticated: Yes / No
Dangerous: Yes / No
