“The Crimson Sunbird (Aethopyga siparaja siparaja) is described as more common near the coast but has increasingly been seen inland. I find it quite common inland in the surrounding areas of Ipoh, especially at the Kledang-Sayong Forest Reserve (up in Kledang hill or in the trails in the forest) as well as in secondary jungle/semi-cultivated land in the Tambun interior. I believe it is still very localised inland but extending.

“In literature, Wells (2007) noted it as insectivorous (thought to take spiders but not confirmed), and also feeds on nectar at base of flowers.

“I have seen it feed on the flowers/fruit of the semi-parasitic mistletoe, on invertebrate/larvae and piercing the base of Hibiscus flowers for nectar. More often at the, Kledang-Sayong Forest Reserve, I spotted it foraging in trees for insects – either spiders or pupae.

“Was fortunate to finally get photographic evidence of it robbing a spider’s nest of ?baby spiders.

“It is a consummate flier and can hover beautifully in the air while feeding off a spider web.

“The picture above shows the hovering sunbird while feeding (note the branch near feet is quite anterior and not touching bird) and an intent search for spiders (web hard to see but above and to the right of bird).”

Dato’ Dr Amar-Singh HSS
Kledang-Sayong Forest Reserve
Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia
9th February 2010

Crimson Sunbird (Aethopyga siparaja siparaja) was observed feeding on a hibiscus flower (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis) for its nectar.

Dato’ Dr Amar-Singh HSS photographed it at the Kledang-Sayong Forest Reserve in Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia on 12th February 2010.

This hibiscus is native to continental Asia, probably China. It has never been found in the wild, being cultivated for centuries in many tropical countries that its exact origin is not known

The natural pollinator of the hibiscus is believed to the hummingbird. The Crimson Sunbird, being not adapted to collect nectar from the hibiscus flower, has to short-circuit the process by piercing the base of the flower to get at the nectar. Is it a wonder then that the hibiscus never sets fruits in this part of the world?

Sunbirds often perch on a nearby branch while inserting its long bill into a flower to harvest nectar. Sometimes, the base of the flower is pierced, in which case the bird is termed a nectar thief, as it does not assist in pollination in the process.

A third method of harvesting nectar is hovering, often associated with hummingbirds. Hovering is flight without horizontal or vertical movement and it involves extra energy on the part of the bird. Hovering becomes necessary when there is no convenient perch nearby. The sunbird may also hover when searching for insects. Although not well known, many species of sunbirds hover when foraging.

Harprit Singh’s image of a Crimson Sunbird (Aethopyga siparaja) hovering while trying to harvest nectar is more common than most birdwatchers are aware of. The plant looks like the water canna (Thalia sp.).

This post is a cooperative effort between NaturePixels.org and BESG to bring the study of bird behaviour through photography to a wider audience.

Liu Jianzhong a.k.a. Jz photographed a juvenile male Crimson Sunbird (Aethopyga siparaja) sipping nectar from the flower of the Water Canna (Thalia geniculata). Note his tongue projecting out from the tip of his bill.

The Water Canna belongs to the maranta family of plants, Marantaceae. The leaves are banana-like, the blade having a prominent midrib and numerous parallel side veins. The blade is connected with its stalk by a knee-like swelling and this allows it to move in response to light and humidity. Thus the specific name geniculata, meaning “bent sharply like a knee”. In some species of Maranta, the leaves fold up in the evening, as if in prayer, thus the common name, Prayer Plant.

The Water Canna proliferates in shallow marshy grounds in the full sun. Of North American origin, it is commonly grown along the edge of ponds, flowering the year round. The long, erect inflorescence bears pendulous flowers that attract sunbirds.

This post is a cooperative effort between NaturePixels.org and BESG to bring the study of bird behaviour through photography to a wider audience.

Dato’ Dr Amar-Singh HSS is sharing his documentation of the Brown-throated Sunbird (Anthreptes malacensis malacensis) feeding on spiders at his Canning Garden Home in Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia during 2007-2009. He uses a Nikon D90 SLR with Tamron AF Zoom 200-500mm and photographed the birds without use of the tripod. Below is Amar’s account of his association with this sunbird.

“This is one of our favourite garden birds and we never fail to have one or two pairs in the garden all the time. Our favourite pair died recently after four years of close friendship and we miss them. They were the friendliest and enjoyed us as much as we enjoyed them (they used to request twice a day showers from us). Have “immortalised” them in a book we recently wrote on garden birds (Amar-Singh, 2009). Their progeny continue to live in our garden. I have thousands of pictures of this bird and want to share a few on their feeding behaviour.

“The Brown-throated Sunbird is considered a generalist, favouring nectar (Wells, 2007). In watching them over a period of more than 35 years, I agree with this, but their behaviour favours what food is available. In our garden they feed on insects, perhaps a little more than on nectar.

“A list of the food I have seen them take in our garden includes insects and other invertebrates like spiders and caterpillars. They spend a lot of time hunting in our Neen Tree (Azadirachta indica) as well as our Rangoon Creeper (Quisqualis indica). Other nectar sources include the Bottle Brush (Callistemon) (above left), hibiscus species, Coral Tree (Erythrina variegate/indica) (above right), Ubi Gajah or Wild Tapioca (Manihot glaziovii), Cockscomb (Celosia spicata) (? nectar or eating seed), Powder Puff (Calliandra haematocephala) and African Tulip (Spathodea campanulat) - whether nectar or drinking water has yet to be established. They also visit the Powder Puff flowers (Calliandra haematocephala).

“The Bottle Brush is a favourite and they have been “quarrelling” with the Yellow-vented Bulbuls (Pycnonotus goiavier) for access to the nectar of the flowers. Finally we had to plant another tree at the back of our home to accommodate both of them. Now there are even more arguments and the Olive-backed Sunbird (Cinnyris jugularis) has also got involved (12/10/2005). The Coral Tree is another favourite for nectar and visited multiple times in a day (30/08/2009).

“They also take fruits, especially from mistletoes (F: Loranthaceae)… Another fruit I have seen them take recently is the Pigeonberry or Bloodberry (Rivina humilis). A medicinal shrub that has been recently introduced locally and we have been growing (or rather it spreads easily) in our garden these past two years.

“Although they are suspected of raiding spider webs, this has not been adequate documented (see Well 2007). The images above show the female sunbird with a spider in the beak (22/10/2009) with her tubular tongue still projecting our. The web was stuck to the beaks so she used her tubular tongue to push it back.

“And a female in our Neem Tree looking for spiders (left). This is a dangerous activity foraging from webs as dense webs like these can be fatal to sunbirds (see Well, 2007). I have also documented a pair (male and female), with animal prey – they searched hard in this Rain Tree (Samanea saman) in matted leaves which had ?pupa or caterpillars (15/02/2009).”

References:
1. Amar-Singh, H. S. S., 2009. A friendship with birds. Desktop systems, Perak, Malaysia. 170 pp.
2. Wells, D.R., 2007. The birds of the Thai-Malay Peninsular. Vol. II, Passerines. Christopher Helm, London. 800 pp.