Birds Thru My Eyes : MALAYSIA: Ornate Sunbird

Tuesday 2 February 2016

Ornate Sunbird

Order - Passeriformes
Family - Nectariniidae (Sunbirds)

Ornate Sunbird

Cinnyris ornatus

黄腹花蜜鸟 (huáng-fù huā-mì-niǎo)

Malay : Kelicap Biasa

Japanese : キバラタイヨウチョウ (ki-bara taiyō-chō)

Kanji 日語漢字 : 黄腹太陽鳥

Taxonomy update for 2023

Olive-backed Sunbird (Cinnyris jugularis) is split into 8 species, as follows:
Ornate Sunbird (Cinnyris ornatus), Tukangbesi Sunbird (Cinnyris infrenatus),
Sahul Sunbird (Cinnyris frenatus), Palawan Sunbird (Cinnyris aurora),
South Moluccan Sunbird (Cinnyris clementiae), Flores Sea Sunbird (Cinnyris teysmanni), Mamberamo Sunbird (Cinnyris idenburgi), and Garden Sunbird (Cinnyris jugularis).
This is the biggest split in this year’s update and highlights the importance of integrative taxonomy that assesses plumage, vocalizations, and genetics in conjunction with biogeography.

Ornate Sunbird is a widespread and common bird across SE Asia and is probably the most familiar representative, with an olive back, extensive iridescent bluish throat, and yellow belly. Garden Sunbird of the Philippines looks very similar, but differs in vocalizations and genetics support its uniqueness. Lying between these populations is Palawan Sunbird, which is similar but has a bold orangeish band below the throat that sets it apart. Farther east, Sahul Sunbird is also similar to Ornate and Garden, but brihgter and shows a narrow yellow moustachial stripe above the blue throat that is distinctive and is consistent across a fairly broad range. Back to the west, off s Sulawesi, the Tukangbesi Sunbird is similar to Ornate but has a very brownish (not olive back) and its uniqueness is also supported genetically. These sunbirds get really different from one another in eastern Indonesia, where Flores Sea Sunbird and South Moluccan Sunbird are both overall dark, including a blackish belly, but differ in back color with Flores Sea Sunbird having a brownish back and South Moluccan having a brighter olive-green back. Mamberamo Sunbird (sometimes known as Rand’s Sunbird) is extremely poorly known, occurring in swampy second growth in northern New Guinea.

- Ornate Sunbird (Cinnyris ornatus)

◦ Ornate Sunbird (Ornate) Cinnyris ornatus [ornatus Group]

RANGE: Widespread in SE Asia

◦ Ornate Sunbird (Cream-bellied) Cinnyris ornatus rhizophorae

RANGE: S China (s Yunnan, Guangxi, Guangdong, Hainan) and n Vietnam

- Tukangbesi Sunbird (Cinnyris infrenatus)

RANGE: Tukangbesi Is. (off Sulawesi)

- Sahul Sunbird (Cinnyris frenatus)

        RANGE: Sulawesi, Talaud, Salayar and adjacent smaller islands, Banggai Is. and
        Sula Is., N Moluccas, Aru and w Papuan is., New Guinea and ne
                    Queensland, Bismarck Archipelago and Solomon Is.

- Garden Sunbird (Cinnyris jugularis)

RANGE: Philippines

- Palawan Sunbird (Cinnyris aurora)

RANGE: Agutaya, Balabac, Busuanga, Cagayancillo, Culion, Cuyo, Palawan

- South Moluccan Sunbird (Cinnyris clementiae)

RANGE: Buru I. (s Moluccas), S Moluccas (Seram, Ambon and adjacent islands),
Kai Is. (Kai Kecil, Kai Besar, Ohimas and Add).

- Flores Sea Sunbird (Cinnyris teysmanni)

RANGE: Tanahjampea, Kalao, Bonerate, Kalaotoa and Madu islands

- Mamberamo Sunbird (Cinnyris idenburgi)

RANGE: Northwest New Guinea and Sepik Ramu

Size : 10–11.4 cm; Male 6.7–11.9 g, Female 6–10 g

Subspecies (7) and Distribution

Cinnyris ornatus ornatus (Lesson, RP 1827)
– S Malay Pen. to Sumatra, Borneo, Java, Lesser Sundas and adj. is.
Cinnyris ornatus polyclystus (Oberholser, HC 1912)
– Enggano I. (off w Sumatra).
Cinnyris ornatus andamanicus (Hume, AO 1873)
– Andaman Is. (Bay of Bengal).
Cinnyris ornatus klossi (Richmond, CW 1902)
– N Nicobar Is. (Bay of Bengal).
Cinnyris ornatus proselius (Oberholser, HC 1923)
– Car Nicobar I. (Bay of Bengal).
Cinnyris ornatus flammaxillaris (Blyth, E 1845)
– Myanmar to Thailand, Cambodia and n Malay Pen. (s to Penang).
Cinnyris ornatus rhizophorae (Swinhoe, R 1869)
– S China (s Yunnan, Guangxi, Guangdong, Hainan) and n Vietnam.