The purple sunbird gets up to 3.9 inches long. The male is a glossy metallic/bluish to purplish black on the upper parts with wings appearing dark brown. The breeding male has underparts of the same purplish black, but non-breeding males may show a central streak of black on yellow underparts. Breeding males may also show a patch of bright blue on the shoulder. A maroon shine on the collar is also mainly visible during breeding.
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| This male purple sunbird in breeding plumage was found near Diphlu Lodge on the edge of Kaziranga NP in Assam, India. |
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| Sucking nectar out of a flower while it stands on a branch. |
Females are olive/brown above with a yellowish underside. The throat and breast are yellow.
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| This female purple sunbird was found on the grounds of our hotel in Guwahati, Assam, India. |
The purple sunbird is found from northern Oman and the United Arab Emirates, through southern Iran, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, and down into Southeast Asia as far as Vietnam and southern Thailand.
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| Range of the purple sunbird from Birds of the World. |
About the size of a hummingbird? Tiny.
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