Olive-backed Sunbird (Cinnyris jugularis)

OTHER NAMES: Yellow-bellied Sunbird

Latin Etymology: Cinnyris (a bird named by Hesychius of Alexandria) jugularis ("of the throat")

Adult female Olive-backed Sunbird (subspecies C. j. ornatus) at Malacca, Malaysia - July 2016

Featured Subspecies: Cinnyris jugularis orantus
Weight: 7-8g  /  Length: 11cm  /  Wingspan: 14-17cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

The sunbirds fill the same niche in the Old-World as the Hummingbirds do in the New - a group of nectar feeding specialists with long curved beaks, though some also eat insects and spiders.  The Olive-backed Sunbird is one of the more common and widespread species of the family within its range - being found in even urban settings like parks.  Though the female here is a very drab bird which looks broadly similar to females of several other sunbirds, the male has an iridescent dark blue mask and bib that make it a lot more distinctive

Related Species:
ORDER: Passeriformes
FAMILY: Nectariniidae
GENUS: Cinnyris
SUBSPECIES: C. j. andamanicus, C. j. klossi, C. j. proselius, C. j. flammaxillaris, C. j. ornatus, C. j. rhizopharae, C. j. polyclystus, C. j. obscurior, C. j. jugularis, C. j. aurora, C. j. woodi, C. j. pateni, C. j. infrenatus, C. j. robustirostris, C. j. frenatus, C. j. teysmanni, C. j. buruensis, C. j. clementiae, C. j. keiensis, C. j. idenburgi, C. j. flavigastra

 - Sighting Locations -

CAMBODIA - Khmer - ចាបកន្លង់

 A common resident

 - Seen at Ta Prohm

MALAYSIA - Malay - Kelicap Bukit ("Hill Hummingbird")

A widespread and fairly common species.

 - MALAYSIA/SINGAPORE 2016 TRIP: A single female seen in Malacca, a male seen briefly in KLCC Park in Kuala Lumpur

SINGAPORE - A very common resident

 - CAMBODIA/SINGAPORE 2019 TRIP: One at Sungei Buloh and common at Ang Mo Kio

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto