Chalcomitra amethystina
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
The amethyst sunbird, also called the black sunbird (Chalcomitra amethystina), is a species of passerine bird in the family Nectariniidae. It is native to the Afrotropics, mostly south of the equator. They are commonly found in well-watered habitats, and undertake seasonal movements to visit flowering woodlands. The demise of some woodlands have impacted their numbers locally, but their range has also expanded along with the spread of wooded gardens.
Though mostly found singly or in pairs, larger numbers may concentrate at favourite flowering trees, where they act aggressively towards other sunbird species. The complex song is a loud, sustained twittering. Food includes emergent termites, spiders and nectar. In courtship a male will hop about a branch near a female, drop one wing, then the other, and finally both wings. The wings will then be fluttered and displayed. A responsive female may lower her head, and assume a rigid posture.
Breeding pairs of amethyst sunbird are widely spaced, and the female builds the nest. Favoured trees include exotic eucalypts and pines, and are often close to buildings or human activity. Nests are attached to a drooping branch... Wikipedia →
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Amethyst Sunbird sighting in Cape Town on a given day, based on 249 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 76th most-seen of the 196 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March–July and September–January
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report an Amethyst Sunbird in Cape Town on a given day, against under 5% in February and August, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Amethyst Sunbird sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
7th of 7
Of the 7 cities where we can rate Amethyst Sunbird sightings, Cape Town ranks 7th at about 10%. The best odds are in Lusaka (Zambia, about 40%), Durban (South Africa, about 30%) and Nairobi (Kenya, about 30%).
Same family: Nectariniidae
The closest relatives of the Amethyst Sunbird that you can see in Cape Town (family Nectariniidae, Sunbirds and Spiderhunters) are Southern Double-collared Sunbird (about 50%) and Malachite Sunbird (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Amethyst Sunbird is recorded against all the birds logged in Cape Town (249 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
