Amani Sunbird Hedydipna pallidigaster Scientific name definitions

The Amani Sunbird is a very small sunbird with a short, slightly decurved bill that moves around restlessly in the canopy. It is known only from a single site in coastal Kenya where it occurs in open woodland, and from the Usambara and Udzungwa mountains in Tanzania where it is associated with forest, forest clearings, and second-growth from 200‒1,550 meters elevation. It mostly forages alone or in pairs, but also joins mixed-species bird flocks that typically include Collared Sunbird (Hedydipna collaris) and a variety of other species. The different habitats utilized in Kenya and Tanzania may influence foraging behavior and diet, as birds in the Kenya woodlands seem to feed almost exclusively on small invertebrates, whereas forest populations in Tanzania also feed on nectar from flowering trees and bushes.

Within Tanzania, the Amani Sunbird occurs in low to very low-density, even within apparently suitable forest habitat. Only at the small Arabuko-Sokoke Forest in Kenya is the species more common. Loss and degradation of forest habitat is ongoing over much of this species' very limited range and its global population is presumed to be in decline. For these reasons, it is listed as Endangered by BirdLife International.