Violet-breasted Sunbird Cinnyris chalcomelas Scientific name definitions

11–12 cm; 7–9·5 g. Male breeding has head and upperparts, including median and lesser wing-coverts, iridescent emerald-green, uppertail black with slight blue gloss, remiges blue-black; chin and throat iridescent blue-green, broad (7–8 mm deep) band on upper breast violet, otherwise black below, including underwing-coverts and axillaries; iris dark brown; bill and legs black. Non-breeding male retains blue-black remiges and tail and iridescent wing-coverts, but otherwise as female except for iridescent green patches interspersed on grey-brown plumage of back, crown and cheeks, grey line 3 mm broad from base of bill to lower chest, and grey patches in black of belly. Female has brownish-white supercilium, brown cheek, with crown and upperparts grey-brown, tinged green, uppertail-coverts darker, very dark brown rectrices slightly glossy above, variably some with whitish tips, outermost pair with narrow whitish outer margin, dark grey-brown remiges with greyish margins; pale brownish-white below, slightly streaked on throat, breast and flanks, with yellow wash on centre of abdomen, underwing-coverts dark brown, axillaries off-white; bare parts as male. Juvenile male resembles adult female, but has black throat with iridescent green centre, iridescent green shoulder patch, some black on lower belly, and broad white margins on outer edges of inner primaries.

S Somalia and SE Kenya.

Trilling song  as “chrrrrrrrrsssswwwizzzzlllle” or slower sequence of notes, ending with “chee-per-chichi-woo-per-chichi-chee-dzurr”. Calls “chip” and “chut”.