Fork-tailed Sunbird Aethopyga christinae Scientific name definitions

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Fork-tailed Sunbird (Fork-tailed)

9–11 cm; 4·7–5·9 g. Adult male nominate race has forehead to nape metallic green, upperparts yellowish olive, rump yellow, uppertail-coverts metallic green, upperwing mostly yellowish olive (concolorous with back); tail metallic green, central feathers elongated (protruding c. 13 mm beyond others), outer rectrices blackish; lores, cheek and ear-coverts black, broad malar streak brilliant metallic blue-green, chin and throat to upper breast dark blood-red, rest of underparts yellowish; iris dark brown; bill blackish or reddish brown; legs dull brown. Female has head and upperparts dull olive, crown feathers with blackish centres, upperwing olive-tinged brown with brighter olive feather edges, tail dark brown with paler edges, outer rectrices with narrow pale tips; chin to breast yellowish olive, rest of underparts paler; bare parts as male. Juvenile resembles female, but greyer above and on throat and upper breast; young male develops longer tail and yellow rump before acquiring iridescence. Race sokolovi is similar to nominate, but has darker olive back, blackish sides of head tinged reddish, yellow area on rump more extensive, breast to undertail-coverts olive-green to green.

Fork-tailed Sunbird (Hainan)

Male 10 cm, female 8·5 cm. Male has crown and nape metallic green, back black, rump yellow, uppertail-coverts and central tail feathers metallic green, latter ending in narrow black points (protruding 13 mm beyond rest of tail), outer tail feathers tipped white, rest of tail feathers black; upperwing drab dark greyish with yellowish-olive edges, broad on tertials, narrow on primaries; sides of head blackish, brilliant metallic blue-green moustachial streak, chin, throat and breast maroon, rest of underparts whitish, variably washed golden-olive to light green, more yellowish in centre of belly; iris brown or dark brown; bill black or reddish brown; legs brown. Female has crown dull brownish or blackish with greyish-olive edging (giving scaly appearance), upperparts olive-green, chin, throat and breast light yellowish green, rest of underparts greenish yellow; bare parts as male. Juvenile is as female, but greyer above and on throat and upper breast; young male develops longer tail and yellow rump before acquiring iridescence.

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Fork-tailed Sunbird (Fork-tailed)

Fork-tailed Sunbird (Hainan)

This species (with latouchii) and A. eximia have in the past been placed together in a separate genus, Urodrepanis. Hitherto treated as conspecific with A. latouchii; see that species; vocal evidence relating to this split desirable. Monotypic.

Fork-tailed Sunbird (Hainan)

Fork-tailed Sunbird (Fork-tailed)

Fork-tailed Sunbird (Hainan)

Fork-tailed Sunbird (Fork-tailed)

Fork-tailed Sunbird (Hainan)

Fork-tailed Sunbird (Fork-tailed)

Little information. Diet includes seeds, nectar and presumably small arthropods. Visits flowering bushes and trees.

Fork-tailed Sunbird (Hainan)

Fork-tailed Sunbird (Fork-tailed)

Song an accelerating “pe-et, pe-et, pit, pit”. Calls a loud, sharp “twisk”, singly or repeated up to five times; also “chip-chip”, developing into slightly descending trill of 5–8 notes.

Fork-tailed Sunbird (Hainan)

Little information available. Vocalizations probably similar to those of A. latouchii.

Fork-tailed Sunbird (Fork-tailed)

Lays from Apr onwards in China. Nest pear-shaped, constructed from mosses, grasses, plant fibres, sometimes decorated with lichens, and suspended from leaves on a branch c. 3 m above ground. Clutch 2–4 eggs, greenish grey, with purplish markings tinged reddish brown, with dusky spots. No other information.

Fork-tailed Sunbird (Hainan)

No definite information. Likely to be much as given for A. latouchii.

Fork-tailed Sunbird (Fork-tailed)

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Common in China; fairly common within somewhat limited range in SE Asia. Occurs in Cuc Phuong National Park, in N Vietnam. This species’ population is believed possibly to be declining as a result of habitat destruction.

Fork-tailed Sunbird (Hainan)

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Restricted-range species: confined to the Hainan EBA. Uncommon to fairly common. This species, confined to a single island of medium size (c. 34,000 km²), is probably in decline owing to habitat loss.