Sunbird is the common name of about 115 species of small songbirds. Sunbirds live in Africa and Asia, and one species is found in northern Australia. Sunbirds are similar in appearance and in feeding habits to the hummingbirds of North and South America. However, these two groups of birds are not related.
In most species of sunbirds, males are brightly colored during the breeding season. They may be various combinations of yellow, blue, purple, green, and red. Females and nonbreeding males are dull yellow, yellowish-green, or gray. Sunbirds have thin, curved bills and long, tube-shaped tongues.
Sunbirds feed on the nectar of flowers and on spiders and small insects that live in the blossoms. Like hummingbirds, sunbirds can probe into a flower while hovering in front of it. But they mostly feed by perching on the flower or on a nearby twig. Sunbirds build small, purse-shaped nests. Females lay two or three dull gray eggs, usually with black or brown markings.
