Tiny Sunbird Cinnyris minullus Scientific name definitions

9–10 cm; 4·5–6·5 g. Male has head, chin, upper throat and upperparts metallic green, bluer on uppertail-coverts; upperwing very dark brown, greater wing-coverts narrowly edged metallic green, lesser and median coverts metallic green; tail black with metallic blue-purple wash; thin iridescent blue band on lower throat, above scarlet breastband with many metallic blue patches within it; pectoral tufts yellow, dark olive belly and below; inner borders of undersides of flight-feathers greyish-white, axillaries yellowish-white, underwing-coverts white; iris dark brown; bill and legs black. Female is dark olive-green above, with narrow olivaceous-yellow supercilium, dark line through eye, dark brown remiges edged dark yellowish and wing-coverts edged olive-yellow, tail very dark brown with blue gloss, outer rectrix paler; throat grey or dusky olive-green, flecked whitish, underparts olive with yellow wash, yellow most obvious on belly; underwing-coverts and axillaries as male; iris very dark brown, bill black but paler proximally, base of lower mandible yellowish, legs black. Juvenile is similar to female, but with dark grey throat bib (whitish-grey at margins), supercilium shorter and less distinct, underparts washed bright yellow, gape pink-tinged orange-yellow.

Sierra Leone E to Ghana, and Benin (1 Dowsett, R.J. and Dowsett-Lemaire, F. (2011). The avifauna of Benin: additions and corrections. Bull. Afr. Bird Club 18(2): 148–167. Close ), S Nigeria, Bioko and Gabon E to DRCongo and W Uganda.

Occurs in mature or secondary forest, forest edges and clearings, and forest-savanna mosaic; also found in gardens, cocoa plantations, abandoned agricultural fields, and around villages in forest.

No data.

Nectar, pollen and small insects. Forages singly and in pairs; joins mixed-species flocks in upper strata of forest. Visits flowers of Anthocleista, Delonix regia, Leea, Maranthes, Mussaeanda and creepers.

Egg-laying recorded in Apr–Jun and Oct in Cameroon and Mar, Jun and Dec in DRCongo, and occupied nests in Sept and Nov in Gabon. Small, ovoid nest 13 cm tall, 7·5 cm wide, side entrance 2·5 cm wide sited 9 cm below top, with porch of Marasmius, nest always includes bark, and is well made with rootlets of epiphytes, grass stems and dead leaves, held together with cobwebs and filaments of Marasmius fungus, lined with kapok, fine grass or pappus, and decorated with bark, lichen, dry leaves or flowers, placed 1·5–3 m up on leafy branch in tree; site sometimes reused in successive years. Clutch 1–2 eggs, long oval, white with green or blue tinge, heavily marked with grey-brown or dark brown spots, or with irregular grey or dark lilac-grey blotches concentrated at wider end; incubation by female alone, both sexes feed nestlings; no information on duration of incubation and nestling periods.

Not globally threatened. Locally common; rare in Nigeria and mainland Equatorial Guinea; scarce in Uganda, mostly restricted to W forests. Widespread and not uncommon in Gabon, where 2–3 birds/10 ha. Occurs in several protected areas.