Purple Sunbird

The purple sunbird is a small sunbird, under 10cm long, with a short, down-curved bill and a brush-tipped tubular tongue for taking nectar. The breeding male is glossy metallic bluish-purple to black all over, looking black in harsh light, with dark brown wings, a bright blue shoulder patch, a maroon sheen on the collar and yellow tufts at the sides of the breast used in display. Non-breeding males may show a black streak down yellow underparts, and females are olive-brown above and yellowish below (Wikipedia, general species account).

It flies fast and direct and can hover at flowers like a hummingbird, though it often perches at the base of a flower to feed. It feeds mainly on nectar and on insects, especially when feeding young. Breeding males can be confused with Loten's sunbird, which has a longer, more curved bill, no eyebrow and a broad maroon breast band. SoIB 2023 lists it as resident in India with local movements and a very large range, estimates a long-term increase of about 66%, and rates it a Low conservation priority (Wikipedia, general species account; SoIB 2023).