Hedydipna collaris
Primarily a bird of forest and riparian habitats where it feeds on nectar, fruit and insects, the tiny (8g, 10cm) Collared Sunbird has exquisite, iridescent plumage, especially in the male of the species.
Collared Sunbirds breed mainly during spring and summer, when the female uses dry grass and other fine plant material to position an untidy oval nest with a side entrance in the outer branches of a tree or shrub, often near the hives of bees or wasps. The female is also solely responsible for the incubation of the clutch of 1-4 eggs over a two week period. The male doesn’t take an active role in the feeding of the chicks, which become independent at around 4 weeks old, either.
The Collared Sunbird is listed as being of least concern by the IUCN, although the loss of coastal forest habitats to development is cause for concern. It occurs widely over the more densely vegetated areas of sub-Saharan Africa, and in South Africa occurs along the coast and adjacent interior of the Eastern Cape and Kwazulu-Natal through to the Lowveld and Escarpment of Mpumalanga and Limpopo.
DeWetsWild 
I love these amazing birds. I’m only familiar with the Palestinian Sunbird. It looks like the males all have irresistible iridescent colors!
They are pretty little winged jewels, that’s for sure!
Hulle is in “metallic” kleure geverf lank voordat dit uitgevind is
En hulle het nog nooit n “respray” nodig gehad nie!
🙂
😊
Lovely little bird. Like little jewels as you say.
They must be regular visitors to your garden, Carol?
They do, but rather surprisingly, they are not as noticeable as two other species of sunbird that visit all the time.
Which ones are those, Carol?
The Southern Double-collared and the Amethyst. Strangely, as I write this a pair of Collared Sunbirds in the company of an Amethyst start calling loudly in an aloe outside the window! Refusing to be overlooked!
Murphy’s at work in your garden! 😀
Such a beautiful bird.
Very much, Gayle – wish I could see them every day!
Beautiful photographs 😍👌 they are such pretty little birds ❤️ thank you for sharing 😊
Our pleasure as always!
Wow! The colors are stunning!
They’re very pretty little things!
So ‘n pragtige voel! Ons is bevoorreg om 2 soorte hier by ons in die tuin te sien. Die Southern Double-collared Sunbird en die Malachite Sunbird.
En die mannetjies van beide daai soorte is net so kleurvol! Watter plante in jou tuin lok hulle, Aletta?
Ek het protea Speldekussings, leonotus leonurus (wilde dagga) 😊 bruin salie, en n klomp daisies waar hulle rondkuier!
Klink of jy hul omtrent trakteer!
Mmm, so lekker om hulle dop te hou☺️
As you said on my blog: summer is here! I have only once seen a Collared Sunbird in our garden – your photographs do it justice, for they are very pretty birds.
Thank you very much, Anne!
They sure are beauties!
They really are!
Wonderful bird
Thank you Rudi, and welcome here!
We have collared dove here in our city that is known as manuk puter. Not as colorful as this one, but very attractive.
Lovely images of a pretty bird. 😊
Not hard to get good pictures if the subject is this beautiful!
Yeah. Sure. I agree. Would you mind checking out my space 🙂 birder here as well!
You have a lovely blog, Riya!
Thank you so much for visiting my blog ❤️☺️
Our pleasure!
Gorgeous colors.
janet
And these photos doesn’t do the iridescence of their feathers any justice at all!
How lovely they are. The colours are stunning.
Little winged jewels!
what a gorgeous little bird!
You should see them in real life, Lois!
Beautiful photography for a colorful bird!
Thank you, Hien!
Such a beautiful bird!! When I see it ate it looks like a hummingbird but with a very short beak. The nectar most be some extra good for this bird because theirs beak is so much shorter then the hummingbird.😊
The hummingbirds and sunbirds are an excellent example of convergent evolution – form fitting function in nature. Though they are not closely related, both families utilise the same ecological niche in their respective parts of the world, and have evolved to look and act quite similarly!