Fire-breasted Flowerpecker

The fire-breasted flowerpecker is one of the smallest flowerpeckers, under 7cm long and 7 to 9g, found widely along the sub-Himalayan region in India, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh and extending into Southeast Asia. The male has glossy blue-black upperparts, a buffy underside with a bright red breast patch and a short black stripe down the middle, olive sides and a small dark bill with a pale base; the female is dull coloured (Wikipedia, general species account).

Like other flowerpeckers, this tiny bird feeds on fruits and plays an important role in dispersing fruiting plants. The shrill call has been likened to snipping scissors. The nest is pendant and purse-like, made of the hairy covering of mistletoe stems and lined with moss and soft grass, with two or three eggs; both sexes incubate and care for the young.