Purple-naped Spiderhunter

The purple-naped spiderhunter or purple-naped sunbird (Kurochkinegramma hypogrammicum) is a species of bird in the family Nectariniidae. It is the only species in the genus Kurochkinegramma. It is found in Southeast Asia from Myanmar to Sumatra and Borneo. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. A study published in 2011 appeared to show that the purple-naped spiderhunter was phylogenetically nested within the genus Arachnothera. (Wikipedia, general species account).

A subsequent 2017 study, conducted by some of the same authors and using additional sequence data, found that the purple-naped spiderhunter occupied a basal position to Arachnothera. It was formerly placed in the genus Hypogramma until it was realised that the name was preoccupied within Lepidoptera. Sunbirds and spiderhunters feed principally on nectar and small arthropods, probing flowers with slender bills and sometimes taking insects by gleaning or short aerial pursuits. They can act as pollinators while moving between flowering plants. Plumage often differs between the sexes. These are family-level traits and should not be read as precise Vietnam-specific breeding information (general Nectariniidae ecology).