Here are some of the common birds i got to capture in Bharuch, a place in Gujarat. Sunbirds have always facinated me with their amazing colors. Here are some images of Sunbirds. The Sunbirds are a group of very small Old World passerine birds which feed largely on nectar, although they will also take insects, especially when feeding young. Their flight is fast and direct on their short wings.
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| The Purple-rumped Sunbird (Leptocoma zeylonica) is a sunbird endemic to the Indian Subcontinent. Like other sunbirds, they are small in size, feeding mainly on nectar but sometimes take insects, particularly when feeding young. These Sunbirds are tiny at less than 10 cm long. Purple-rumped Sunbirds are sexually dimorphic. The males have a dark maroon upperside with a blue-green crown that glistens in some angles, bright green shoulder patch and violet/purple rump patch which is generally hidden. The underparts are whitish with dark throat, maroon breast band and purple/violet patch in the throat which is visible in some angles. The female has a white throat followed by yellowish breast. The upperside is olive or brownish. The uppertail coverts are black and a weak supercilium is visible. Captured at Bharuch, Gujarat... |
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| The eclipse (non-breeding) male
has a pale olive brown or yellow-grey upper plumage, except for blackish
wings and tail. The chest and abdomen are yellow with a blue central
streak extending from the throat to the abdomen. Males in the eclipse
plumage were formerly separated as species currucaria. |
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| The non-breeding male purple sunbird has
a much duller ‘eclipse’ plumage that resembles the female, with yellow
underparts and a dark line of feathers running down the center of the
throat and breast. |
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| The birds mate between the months of April and August. Both the male and the female assist in building the nest which is flask-shaped, with an overhanging porch at the entrance, and a trail of hanging material at the bottom end. |
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| The Eclipse Sunbird feeding on the nectar.... |
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After building the nest, the birds abandon the nest for about a week before the female returns to lay one or two greenish-blue eggs. The eggs take a further week to hatch. The female may leave the nest for short periods during the day during incubation.
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| After the chicks have hatched, both male and female assist in the care of the young, which leave the nest about two or three weeks later. |
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| The Red-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus cafer) is a member of the bulbul family of passerines. Feeding its baby bird. Captured at Bharuch, Gujarat... |
