Chalcomitra amethystina
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
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 →
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report an Amethyst Sunbird sighting in Pretoria on a given day, based on 141 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 35th most-seen of the 177 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report an Amethyst Sunbird in Pretoria on a given day, against about 10% in September to December, the lowest months. That is one of Pretoria's driest months, with about 15 mm of rain against 130 mm in December.
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.
5th of 7
Of the 7 cities where we can rate Amethyst Sunbird sightings, Pretoria ranks 5th at about 20%. The best odds are in Lusaka (Zambia, about 40%), Durban (South Africa, about 30%) and Nairobi (Kenya, about 30%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Amethyst Sunbird is recorded against all the birds logged in Pretoria (141 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.
