Sunbirds (Nectariniidae)
Variable Sunbird (Cinnyris venustus) - HBW 13, p. 292
French: Souimanga à ventre jaune
German: Ziernektarvogel
Spanish: Suimanga Variable
Other common names: Yellow-bellied/Yellow-breasted/Buff-breasted/Buff-chested Sunbird; White-bellied (Variable)/Somali Sunbird (albiventris); Orange-bellied (Variable) Sunbird (igneiventris)
Taxonomy: Certhia venusta Shaw, 1799, Sierra Leone.
Genus often subsumed in Nectarinia. Has been thought to be closely related to, and possibly forming a superspecies with, C. ursulae. Other proposed races include blicki (described from S shore L Stefanie, in SW Ethiopia), synonymized with albiventris, and sukensis (from R Turkwell, in N Kenya), merged with fazoqlensis; kuanzae (Malanje, in N Angola), niassae (Malawi), cyanescens (Zanzibar) and stierlingi (Uhehe, in S Tanzania) are all treated as synonyms of falkensteini. Five subspecies recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution:
- venustus (Shaw, 1799) - Senegal, Gambia and Sierra Leone E to Nigeria, N Cameroon and Central African Republic.
- fazoqlensis (Heuglin, 1873) - E Sudan, Eritrea and W Ethiopia.
- albiventris (Strickland, 1852) - E & S Ethiopia, Somalia and NE Kenya.
- venustus (Shaw, 1799) - Senegal, Gambia and Sierra Leone E to Nigeria, N Cameroon and Central African Republic.
- fazoqlensis (Heuglin, 1873) - E Sudan, Eritrea and W Ethiopia.
- albiventris (Strickland, 1852) - E & S Ethiopia, Somalia and NE Kenya.
- falkensteini G. A. Fischer & Reichenow, 1884 - SE Sudan S to W & S Kenya, and from S Gabon and W Angola E to S DRCongo, Tanzania (including Pemba I and Zanzibar), Zambia, Malawi, Zimbabwe and Mozambique.
- igneiventris Reichenow, 1899 - E DRCongo, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi.
- Least Concern Enlarge map
-
A male in breeding plumage feeding on flowers. Locality Jemmu Valley, Ethiopia (ssp fazoqlensis)
Josep del Hoyo 25 November 2005 7 years ago 33 sec 4.6 -
A male in breeding plumage calling and feeding. Locality Jemmu Valley, Ethiopia (ssp fazoqlensis)
Josep del Hoyo 25 November 2005 7 years ago 24 sec 4.5 -
A male in flowers Locality Kibuye, West Province, Rwanda
Pascal Vagner 8 March 2013 6 weeks ago 53 sec 4 -
male eating nectar Locality Mandinaba, Western Division, The Gambia (ssp venustus)
Daniêl Jimenez 24 December 2011 1 year ago 14 sec 4 -
A juvenile male in a tree, feeding. Locality Ginir, Ethiopia (ssp fazolensis)
Josep del Hoyo 4 December 2005 7 years ago 33 sec 4 -
A male feeding and flying from one flower to another one Locality Nairobi, Kenya (ssp falkensteini)
Marc de Bont 18 November 2006 5 years ago 30 sec 3.8 -
A male in breeding plumage feeding on nectar from flowers Locality Masaka, Uganda (ssp igneiventris)
Josep del Hoyo 14 September 2006 5 years ago 16 sec 3.7 -
high in a tree Locality Brufut, Western Division, The Gambia (ssp venustus)
Daniêl Jimenez 4 January 2012 1 year ago 1 min 8 sec 3.7 -
A female feeding on flowers. Locality Jemmu Valley, Ethiopia (ssp fazoqlensis)
Josep del Hoyo 25 November 2005 7 years ago 22 sec 3.6 -
one bird Locality North Bank Division, The Gambia (ssp venustus)
Daniêl Jimenez 27 December 2011 1 year ago 20 sec 3.5 -
A male in breeding plumage singing once and flying away Locality Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, Uganda (ssp igneiventris)
Josep del Hoyo 12 September 2006 5 years ago 12 sec 3.4 -
male singing and preening from exposed twig Locality Yabelo, Oromia Region, Ethiopia (ssp albiventris)
Martin Kennewell 3 November 2010 2 years ago 53 sec 3.3 -
A male in non-breeding plumage feeding on flowers. Locality Jemmu Valley, Ethiopia (ssp fazoqlensis)
Josep del Hoyo 25 November 2005 7 years ago 33 sec 3.3 -
A bird feeding on some flowers. Locality Bijilo Forest Park, Bijilo, Western Division, The Gambia (ssp venustus)
Paul Clarke 4 January 2003 4 years ago 10 sec 3
Email this page