Purple-throated Sunbird Leptocoma sperata Scientific name definitions

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Purple-throated Sunbird (Purple-throated)

9–10 cm; 5·2–9 g. Male nominate race has crown iridescent coppery green or golden-green, side of neck, mantle and scapulars maroon, lower back, rump and uppertail-coverts metallic green, tail black glossed blue; upperwing black, remiges with orange-red edgings; lores, side of face to ear-coverts and malar area blackish; chin and throat iridescent purple or violet-purple, breast to upper belly scarlet to orange, belly and undertail-coverts yellowish olive, yellowish green or yellow (belly greyer in C Luzon); iris brown to dark brown; bill and legs black. Female (averages smaller than male) is mostly olive-green, with wing edging brownish, brighter below, becoming more yellow and whitish from lower breast to vent; all except central rectrices narrowly tipped greyish. Juvenile is similar to female, but greyer below, later becoming browner above and whitish below. Races differ mainly in plumage coloration and pattern: henkei male differs from nominate in having black mantle and duller wings; trochilus differs from nominate in having iridescent bronze-green crown, with pectoral spot, lower back, rump and undertail-coverts iridescent blue-green, tail dark purple, and lower belly to undertail-coverts dark olive to olive-grey.

Purple-throated Sunbird (Orange-lined)

9–10 cm. Adult male differs from formerly conspecific L. sperata in having variable amounts of mauve-red gloss and green on crown, dark crimson (instead of red-brown) mantle, red or brownish-red edging on remiges, tail more purple-blue, breast bright orange-yellow with variable amounts of scarlet, belly to vent yellow-green. Female has upperparts olive-green, tail brownish black with all but central rectrices tipped greyish white, flight-feathers olive-brown edged pale golden-orange, and underparts pale olive-yellow; adult of both sexes has bill and legs black, irides brown. Juvenile apparently undescribed, but presumably differs little from adult female.

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Purple-throated Sunbird (Purple-throated)

Purple-throated Sunbird (Orange-lined)

Purple-throated Sunbird (Orange-lined)

Purple-throated Sunbird (Purple-throated)

Inhabits mangroves, primary and secondary forests, second growth, cultivated regions with trees and gardens, primarily in lowlands.

Purple-throated Sunbird (Orange-lined)

Purple-throated Sunbird (Purple-throated)

Presumably resident.

Purple-throated Sunbird (Orange-lined)

Purple-throated Sunbird (Purple-throated)

Diet and foraging behaviour undescribed, but reported to be ‘very fond of flowering coconuts’. Usually observed in pairs, but occasionally in small flocks.

Purple-throated Sunbird (Orange-lined)

Purple-throated Sunbird (Purple-throated)

Song is apparently undescribed. Call a metallic “spee-spit” or “pee-pit”.

Purple-throated Sunbird (Orange-lined)

Purple-throated Sunbird (Purple-throated)

Nest with eggs in Apr in N (Camiguin Norte), laying in Dec on Palawan, Jan on Negros, Feb on Siquijor and Apr on Samar, and birds with active gonads in Mar on Mindoro and Apr on Marinduque. Only described nest was a small pendulous untidy tangle of dried leaves and stems; it had an entrance on one side in the shape of a teardrop, and was attached to the tip of a fern frond 1·5 m above ground. Clutch two eggs, brown. No other information.

Purple-throated Sunbird (Orange-lined)

Purple-throated Sunbird (Purple-throated)

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Generally common. Occurs in several protected areas, e.g. St Paul Subterranean River National Park (Palawan) and Rajah Sikatuna National Park (Bohol).

Purple-throated Sunbird (Orange-lined)

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Restricted-range species: recorded in the Sulu archipelago and part of the Mindanao and the Eastern Visayas EBAs. Generally common. No threats known.