ML538830601
sunbird sp. Nectariniidae sp. (sunbird sp.)
Contribuidor
Fecha
Localidad
- Edad
- No especificado
- Sexo
- No especificado
- Playback
- No especificado
Detalles de la observación
Seen at a distance of around 10 m. around 13h00 in dry scrubland overlooking Lake Albert. Bird was in a vacant lot adjacent to the open-air restaurant where my companions and I were eating lunch. It responded to my pish by perching, facing me, on top of a bush and singing its harsh song. The bird was dull above—it seemed grayish, but it was hard to determine color, since the bird was facing me—and (a strongly contrasting) whitish below. It had a relatively short (compared to most of the species of sunbird I've seen) black bill that was relatively straight but decurved at the end. According to the range map in Birds of Africa South of the Sahara, this could be a region of overlap between the Western and Eastern species of the Violet-backed Sunbird. The birds of this area are not well known. I made a recording of the bird's call and compared it to E-bird recordings for both species, and this seemed to be an Eastern. Cheke, et al, in Sunbirds describe this species (Kenya (now eastern) Violet-backed Sunbird) as being stocky but, in its extended posture on top of the bush, the bird I saw did not appear stocky to me. Rather, in shape and attitude it resembled the photo of this species on the eBird website by Tom Beeke in which the bird is perched on a thorn bush. I didn't see any indication of a white supercilium (which would likely have been evident, since I saw the head clearly, if the bird had been a female), and of course the bird was singing—so I assume it was an immature male. I didn't get to see the tail and rump, so I couldn't tell whether they were purple. Further to the song--it was the song that alerted me to the bird's presence. The song was more varied than the single series of notes I was able to record, and the bird was singing frequently and could be heard over the conversation at my table, which was about 10 m. from where I saw the bird.
Información técnica
- Grabadora
- Micrófono
- Accesorios
- Original file size
- 45.84 KB