Red-tufted Sunbird Nectarinia johnstoni Scientific name definitions

Male 27 cm, 14–17 g; female 14 cm. Male nominate race breeding has iridescent green crown, side of head and neck on otherwise black head, metallic green upperparts, bluish tinge on uppertail-coverts; black tail with green edges, elongated narrow central feathers protruding up to 135 mm; upperwing black, median and lesser wing-coverts iridescent green, greater coverts and alula edged iridescent bluish-green; iridescent green below, scarlet pectoral tufts, bluish-green on belly and flanks, black on thighs and undertail-coverts; under­wing black; iris brown; bill and legs black. Male non-breeding (eclipse plumage) has crown and face, mantle and chin to chest dusky olive, breast and flanks brighter olive. Female has head and upperparts brownish-grey, dark brown tail has slight blue tinge, outer rectrices buff on tips and distal edges, wings blackish-brown above and below, with pale edges; throat greyish-brown with pale barring, underparts brownish-olive with dark mottling, middle of abdomen dusky white, occasionally washed with yellow, pectoral tufts one quarter the size of those of male and generally more orange (less red); bare parts as male. Juvenile is like female, but without pectoral tufts. Race nyikensis male has shorter wing (72–78 mm) and shorter bill (24–27 mm) than nominate (80–86 mm and 29–32 mm, respectively), female similar to nominate but slightly paler and greyer on malar, throat and middle of abdomen; dartmouthi male has bluish tinge in metallic green colours, bluer rump than nominate, uppertail-coverts violet-blue, shorter central rectrices (protruding up to 115 mm), violet-blue on upper belly and flanks, female more sooty above, throat markings less prominent, off-white with brownish-black mottling below, flanks dark brown, yellow wash from breast to flanks; itombwensis male has deeper more purple-green metallic colouring than nominate, also bluer (particularly on rump and uppertail-coverts) than previous, female paler and greyer than those two, with undertail-coverts off-white (not dull brown), middle of belly dusky brownish-white.

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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.

Mostly in Afro-alpine moorland; common where giant lobelias (Lobelia), giant groundsels (Senecio) and proteas (Protea) are present, but occurs also in Protea grassland and Kotschya-Erica heathland, Hagenia-Hypericum forest, Hypericum scrub and bamboo. Confined to high ­elevations, 1900–4400 m; race itombwensis restricted to 2350–3100 m in Itombwe Mts (E DRCongo).

Descends to lower altitudes seasonally in Kenya and N Tanzania. Migrant in Malawi, where absent from Nyika plateau in May–Jun.

Nectar, pollen, insects (particularly bibionid flies and chironomids) and spiders (Araneae). Food taken from giant lobelias, red-hot pokers (Kniphofia), aloes (Aloe), proteas, groundsels, heaths (Erica), Hypericum species and Tecoma capensis. Forages singly, in pairs and in mixed groups with other sunbirds. Active through most of day, even in adverse weather; tame. Perches freely on flowers. Catches insects in air by flycatching from bushtop.

Song of nominate race begins with weak warble, followed by higher-pitched “tsk tee, tsk tee, tk tk tk”, and even higher drawn-out trill of repeated “s-s”; that of nyikensis starts with “tse” notes before a series of repeated “tserrep” notes. Calls include metallic “tspk”, fast “tsp-tk tsp-tk”, repeats of “tiki”, and “cha-cha” and “chk-k”. High-pitched “psurr-psurr-psurr” calls by displaying male.

Laying recorded in Dec in DRCongo, Nov–Jan in Uganda, Jan, Feb, May, Jul–Oct and Dec in Kenya, Jan in Tanzania, and Jan, Oct and Dec in Malawi. Territorial. In display, male raises bill, fluffs out feathers, raises tail over back, keeps wings partly open, and makes high-pitched calls while turning body clockwise. Oval nest composed of Usnea lichens or white plant material, animal hair and brown fibres, lined with pappus, placed from below 1 m to up to 15 m above ground within Erica bush, in Hagenia tree, in top of grass tussock, in Lobelia telekii inflorescences, or among dead leaves below terminal rosettes of Senecio keniodendrum; territory 1700–3300 m², size varying according to altitude. Clutch usually 1 egg, but in high-quality territory 2 (4% of nests), white with streaks of pinkish-brown, denser at wider end; incubation by female alone, precise period apparently undocumented despite reports to contrary; chicks brooded by female, usually fed by female alone but sometimes by both sexes at rate of 5–12 visits per hour, nestling period 22 days; fledglings tended by female for c. 14 days.

Not globally threatened. Common to very common throughout range; locally abundant.