Scarlet-chested Sunbird Chalcomitra senegalensis Scientific name definitions

13–15 cm; male 7·5–17·2g, female 6·8–15·3 g. Male nominate race has metallic emerald crown with golden sheen, other­wise very dark brown above, uppertail-coverts brown with darker brown edges; newly moulted wing and tail feathers brown (fading to cinnamon-brown when older), lesser wing-coverts and scapulars blackish-brown; chin and upper throat and malar stripe metallic green, lower throat and breast bright vermilion with narrow metallic purplish-blue or bluish-green subterminal bars on each feather; rest of underparts very dark brown; iris dark brown; bill and legs greenish-black. Female is brown above, including upperwing and wing-coverts, white edges on primary coverts and alula and on inner lesser coverts, tail brown, darker near tip, narrowly edged white, chin and throat narrowly barred light brown on dark brown ground (looking mottled), underparts pale yellow, strongly marked with dark brown (particularly on belly), undertail-coverts dark brown with yellowish-white tips. Immature male is like female on upperparts but, below, has metallic green on chin and upper neck, blackish throat and breast, yellow belly with heavy dark mottling and barring, also red on chest and some metallic plumage colours on head. Race <em>acik</em> male has red on chest lighter, lacking gloss and with less marked metallic blue barring, and green malar stripe smaller than that of nominate; <em>lamperti</em> resembles previous, but male has heavier and longer bill (28–31 mm; acik 22–26 mm), female underparts paler and less heavily marked; <em>proteus </em> male has small metallic violet spot on lesser wing-coverts, black chin and upper throat bordered with green moustachial stripe, upperwing paler than that of previous two races and contrasting more with back, female lacks white edges on primary coverts and alula, and has belly paler yellow; <em>gutturalis</em> male has metallic violet spot on lesser wing-coverts (absent in other races except preceding one) and female has yellower underparts, male takes two years to gain breeding plumage and some have eclipse plumage (combination of fresh female-like plumage and old breeding plumage).

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Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

Nectar , insects, and spiders (Araneae). Nestling diet small insects. Many known foodplants, including species of genera Acacia, Albizia, Aloe, Baikiaea, Bauhinia, Bombax, Bougainvillea, Caesalpinia, Callistemon, Canna, Carica, Cassia, Ceiba, Citrus, Combretum, Crotalaria, Dalbergia, Delonix, Erianthemum, Erythrina, Euphorbia, Gmelina, Grevillea, Halleria, Hibiscus, Kigelia, Kniphofia, Leonotis, Manihot, Musa, Parkia, Protea, Prunus, Spathodea, Symphonia, Syzygium, Tapinanthus, Tecoma, Thevetia and Vitex. Forages singly and in pairs or, often, in groups. Male defends feeding territories against other males and conspecific females; also deters other sunbirds, such as Anthreptes longuemarei. Sometimes hovers in front of flowers, grasses or leaves; takes insects on the wing in manner of a flycatcher (Muscicapidae). Also hovers at spider webs and seizes prey trapped in them.

Laying recorded in Jun and Dec in Gambia, May and Jul–Sept in Ghana, Jul in Niger, Feb–Oct in Nigeria, May and Jul in Cameroon, Apr and Jul–Sept in Sudan, Jul–Aug in Ethiopia and Eritrea, Apr in Angola, Mar, May, Jun, Aug–Oct and Dec in DRCongo, Mar–Jul, Aug and Oct in Uganda, Jan–Feb and Aug in Kenya, all months (peaks in Feb–Mar and Nov–Dec) in Tanzania, Jan–Mar and Jun–Oct on Zanzibar, Jul–Mar in Zambia, Feb–May and Jul–Dec in Malawi, Nov–Apr in Namibia, Aug–Dec in Botswana, Jul–Apr and Jun in Zimbabwe, Sept–Mar in Mozambique, and Aug–Jan in South Africa; double-brooded or triple-brooded in some areas. Territorial. Male makes side-to-side movement of body in courtship displays to female. Nest built by female, sometimes in just 3–6 days, a bulky dome, side entrance with porch of dead grass heads overhanging for 4 cm, made of spider web, bark, leaves and grass, adorned with leaf skeletons, feathers, wool, string, paper and insect faeces, lined with plant down, hair and feathers, short “beard” of grass, leaves and bark hanging down to 5 cm below base, suspended 1·5–15 m above ground in tree, from creepers, but also recorded near house (e.g. on electric-light flex); sometimes protected by close association with nests of polistine wasps (Ropalidia); same nest sometimes used for up to three broods, or new one built for each attempt. Clutch 1–3 eggs, variable, with background of dirty white or pinkish-white to purple, blue-green or light green, with brown, green or grey streaks, mottles, lines, spots and blotches, denser at broad end; incubation by female, period c. 2 weeks; chicks fed by both parents, nestling period up to 23 days; fledglings roost in nest for at least 4 nights after fledging, but can take nectar independently 9 days after abandoning nest. Nests parasitized by Klaas’s Cuckoo (Chrysococcyx klaas), African Emerald Cuckoo (Chrysococcyx cupreus) and Greater Honeyguide (Indicator indicator); pair seen to chase away Brown-backed Honeybird (Prodotiscus regulus), but nest parasitism by this species unconfirmed.