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Little Green Sunbird Anthreptes seimundi Scientific name definitions

Robert Cheke and Clive Mann
Version: 1.0 — Published March 4, 2020
Text last updated January 1, 2008

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Originally Appeared in

HBW Alive

Field Identification

9·5 cm; male 6·3–11 g, female 5–6·5 g. A very small, green sunbird with short, minimally decurved, fairly thick bill and pale area around eye; lacks gloss and lacks pectoral tufts. Nominate race is olive-green above, with pale yellow crescents above and below eye, faint darker eyestripe; upperwing dark brown, feathers with yellow edges; tail dark brown, edged olive on outer webs; throat dull green-yellow, underparts paler than upperparts, yellower on belly, with all yellow along middle abdomen; undertail-coverts yellow, underwing white with yellow edging; iris dark brown; bill dark brown, paler base of lower mandible; legs greenish-black. Differs from Cinnyris batesi in being paler and straighter-billed, with more yellow underparts, also in more prominent yellow around eye and mainly green (not brown) tail; from Deleornis fraseri in smaller size, yellow colour below, and lack of pectoral tufts. Sexes similar, but female smaller than male. Juvenile has dark crown and greyer flanks than adult. Race kruensis is duller below than nominate, tinged grey, with chin white, eyering less pronounced; minor is smaller than nominate, and greener (less yellow) below, has faint yellow supercilium, male with upper mandible greenish-black, lower mandible brownish-yellow with green-brown tip, female with base of lower mandible yellow.

Systematics History

Editor's Note: This article requires further editing work to merge existing content into the appropriate Subspecies sections. Please bear with us while this update takes place.

See A. gabonicus. Present species sometimes placed in genus Nectarinia or in Paradeleornis. Three subspecies recognized.

Subspecies

SUBSPECIES

Anthreptes seimundi kruensis Scientific name definitions

Distribution

W Guinea and Sierra Leone E to Togo.
SUBSPECIES

Anthreptes seimundi seimundi Scientific name definitions

Distribution

Bioko.
SUBSPECIES

Anthreptes seimundi minor Scientific name definitions

Distribution

S Benin, S Nigeria, Cameroon, Central African Republic E to DRCongo, S South Sudan, W and S Uganda, S to NW and NE Angola.

Distribution

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.

Habitat

Most forest habitats, forest edge, forest-grassland mosaic, undergrowth in clearings and coffee plantations.

Movement

No data.

Diet and Foraging

Takes nectar, small fruits of Ochthocosmus africanus and Urera hypsilodendron, seeds of figs (Ficus); also insects, such as small beetles (Coleoptera) and caterpillars, and small spiders (Araneae). Forages actively in forest trees, at all levels, in groups or in mixed-species flocks with other sunbirds. Visits Alstonia, Erythrina, Lophira alata, Macaranga assas, Mitragyna, Rauwolfia, and mistletoes (Loranthaceae).

Sounds and Vocal Behavior

Squeaky “twip twip twip” rapidly repeated up to eight times (race kruensis); “pse-ee” or “pss-upp”, repeated every second (minor).

Breeding

Egg-laying in Feb in Sierra Leone, Jul in Liberia, Apr–May, Jul, Nov and Dec in Cameroon, Nov in Gabon, Oct in PRCongo, Feb and Sept in DRCongo, and Nov–Feb and Aug in Uganda; fledgling in Jul in Ghana. Compact oval nest of fibre and cobwebs or bark and dry leaves, lined with thistle down, hung near end of twig 10 m up in tree, covered above by foliage, or suspended from yam vine (Dioscorea). Clutch 2 eggs, unglossed, cream, with brown speckles all over; no information on incubation and nestling periods.

Conservation Status

Conservation status on Birdlife LC Least Concern
Not globally threatened. Not uncommon in Cameroon, N Angola and Uganda, and abundant in Sudan (at Talanga forest); uncommon elsewhere, and rare in Guinea and DRCongo. Occurs in a number of protected areas.
Distribution of the Little Green Sunbird - Range Map
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  • Year-round
  • Migration
  • Breeding
  • Non-Breeding
Distribution of the Little Green Sunbird

eBird and Macaulay Library

Recommended Citation

Cheke, R. and C. Mann (2020). Little Green Sunbird (Anthreptes seimundi), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.ligsun2.01
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