The Purple sunbird is a small bird and one of the common and most beautiful birds in our gardens. Its name, purple sunbird, comes from the male, some of whose feathers acquire a metallic purple shade under soft sunlight. In harsh sunlight, it appears to be a shiny black although it is a combination of brown and glossed blue feathers. The feathers of female sunbirds are totally different. The female is creamish – golden in its under-body and a dusty brown on top, which makes it almost invisible, whether in foliage or in the branches of plants.
They feed mainly on nectar, although they will also take insects, especially when feeding young. They have a fast and direct flight and can take nectar by hovering like a hummingbird but often perch at the base of flowers. Less than 10 cm long, they have a down-curved bill with brush-tipped tubular tongues that aid in nectar feeding.
The nest, mostly hanging from a single, firm and camouflaged twig, is built almost single-handedly by the female. The nest material is bark, straw, soft material like cotton wool and feathers besides a variety of threads. The nest is not woven and most of it is held together by cobwebs. About five to ten days may be taken in the building of the nest.
The female is largely quiet; it is the male who does all the talking, be it during courtship or when watching over the eggs and chicks. Sitting on high perches around the nest, it is a fierce guardian, taking on bulbul and other predators twice or thrice its size.
The bird does not move long distances and has no trouble adjusting to human habitation. Its tiny form glued to the flowers in our balconies and gardens, the sunbird is hardly visible, but is a sight to watch when it sucks nectar while being airborne.
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