ON THE WILD SIDE A ray of delight
THE ivy is flowering and attracting lots of insects. Stand close up to it and you will hear all kinds of bees and minibeasts busily buzzing away as they enjoy the late summer sun. I PROMISED to introduce you to more of my favourite birds from my travels...
The charismatic sunbird is a familiar friend to travellers across Asia, Australasia and Africa. Although not as well recognised as the familiar American hummingbirds, these shiny little creatures have a charm all their own and are a welcome jewel across forest and savanna.
Their species names are usually descriptive and uninspired, such as “tiny sunbird” and “beautiful sunbird”.
There are well over 130 species split into two types – sunbirds and spiderhunters.
The sunbirds are smaller, with the males brightly coloured. Spiderhunters are larger and males and females are alike in colour. Sunbirds can be as small as
10cm, including their tails, but spiderhunters get to around
25cm. Spiderhunters are specialised insect catchers but sunbirds prefer something a little sweeter.
Feeding on nectar, sunbirds have tube-shaped tongues which are covered in tiny bristles.
They don’t have much, or any, sense of smell, and find flowers entirely by sight. They feed on all colours but are specifically attracted to red and orange blooms – colours that insects tend to overlook – and are vital pollinators to these species. The insects that do venture into these flowers often don’t get deep enough to do the job. If you see long red flowers in the forests of Africa and Asia, chances are they have evolved specifically to attract sunbirds. They also have some strange adaptations for saving energy. At night some species slow their heart rate and lower their body temperature to preserve their strength. They may look pretty but the sunbirds make a rattling, zitting, zipping sound more like insects – not so attractive. Sunbirds usually live to about seven but have been known to get into their late teens. Pairs mate for life and live together or with a few other members of their family.
They make fabulous sockshaped nests of various plants held together with spider silk. Males aggressively defend the nests and even attack their own reflections. Nests are sometimes targeted by sneaky tropical cuckoos and honeyguides who lay their eggs in them and oust the sunbird chicks.