Nile Valley Sunbird
Hedydipna metallica (Lichtenstein, MHC, 1823)
Nectariniidae — Sunbirds
Nile Valley Sunbird, Hedydipna metallica, is a passerine in the sunbird family that breeds from Egypt through South Sudan, Ethiopia and Somalia, with a range that also reaches the south-western Arabian Peninsula. It is a bird of the Nile Valley and nearby parts of north-east Africa and Arabia. The male changes into breeding plumage by February, becoming glossy green with a bright sulphur-yellow belly and long tail streamers. In winter, both sexes are similar, with pale grey upperparts, washed-out yellow underparts and a long, slender, slightly down-curved bill. The male’s courtship includes hovering, body rocking and wing-whirring.
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Nectariniidae — Sunbirds
- Breeding range
- Africa: Egypt to South Sudan, Ethiopia and Somalia; also sw Arabian Pen.
