Ornate Sunbird (Cinnyris ornatus)

OTHER NAMES: Yellow-bellied Sunbird

Latin Etymology: Cinnyris (a bird named by Hesychius of Alexandria) ornatus ("ornate")

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

Featured Subspecies: Cinnyris orantus ornatus
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 Ornate 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. o. andamanicus, C. o. klossi, C.o. proselius, C. o. flammaxillaris, C.o. ornatus, C. o. rhizopharae, C. o. polyclystus

 - 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