Cinnyris


Cinnyris is a genus of sunbirds. Its members are sometimes included in Nectarinia. They are generally known as double-collared sunbirds because the fringe of their bib usually includes a band of contrastingly coloured feathers.
The sunbirds are a group of very small Old World passerine birds which feed largely on nectar, although they will also take insects, especially when feeding young. Flight is fast and direct on their short wings. Most species can take nectar by hovering like a hummingbird, but usually perch to feed.

Taxonomy

The genus Cinnyris was introduced by the French naturalist Georges Cuvier in 1816. The type species was designated as "Certhia splendida Shaw" by George Robert Gray in 1855. This taxon is a junior synonym of Certhia coccinigaster described by John Latham in 1801. This is now the splendid sunbird. The name Cinnyris is from the Ancient Greek κιννυρις, an unknown small bird mentioned by Hesychius of Alexandria.
It is suspected that the genus is polyphyletic and the positions of many are unresolved:

Species

The genus contains 63 species:
ImageCommon nameScientific nameDistribution
Olive-bellied sunbirdCinnyris chloropygiusAfrican tropical rainforest
Tiny sunbirdCinnyris minullusAfrican tropical rainforest
Eastern miombo sunbirdCinnyris manoensiscentral and eastern Africa
Western miombo sunbirdCinnyris gertrudiswestern Africa
Southern double-collared sunbirdCinnyris chalybeussouthern Africa
Neergaard's sunbirdCinnyris neergaardiMozambique and South Africa
Rwenzori double-collared sunbirdCinnyris stuhlmannisouth central Africa
Whyte's double-collared sunbirdCinnyris whyteiZambia, Malawi, and Tanzania
Prigogine's double-collared sunbirdCinnyris prigogineiDemocratic Republic of the Congo
Ludwig's double-collared sunbirdCinnyris ludovicensisAngola, northern Malawi, and northeastern Zambia
Northern double-collared sunbirdCinnyris reichenowiBurundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Sudan, and Uganda
Greater double-collared sunbirdCinnyris afersouthern South Africa
Regal sunbirdCinnyris regiusUganda to Tanzania
Rockefeller's sunbirdCinnyris rockefelleriAlbertine Rift montane forests
Eastern double-collared sunbirdCinnyris mediocrisKenya and northern Tanzania
Usambara double-collared sunbirdCinnyris usambaricusKenya and northeast Tanzania
Forest double-collared sunbirdCinnyris fuelleborniEast Africa
Moreau's sunbirdCinnyris moreauiTanzania
Beautiful sunbirdCinnyris pulchellusSenegal and Guinea in the west to Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia and northwest Kenya
Gorgeous sunbird Cinnyris melanogastrusKenya and Tanzania
Loveridge's sunbirdCinnyris loveridgeiTanzania
Marico sunbirdCinnyris mariquensisAngola, Botswana, Burundi, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe
Shelley's sunbirdCinnyris shelleyiDemocratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe
Congo sunbirdCinnyris congensisDemocratic Republic of the Congo
Red-chested sunbirdCinnyris erythrocercusBurundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda
Black-bellied sunbirdCinnyris nectarinioidesEthiopia, Kenya, Somalia, and Tanzania
Purple-banded sunbirdCinnyris bifasciatusAngola, Botswana, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Eswatini, Gabon, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Somalia, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe
Tsavo sunbirdCinnyris tsavoensisKenya and Tanzania
Violet-breasted sunbirdCinnyris chalcomelasKenya and Somalia
Pemba sunbirdCinnyris pembaePemba Island, in Tanzania
Orange-tufted sunbirdCinnyris bouvieriAngola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, and Zambia
Palestine sunbirdCinnyris oseaMiddle East and sub-Saharan Africa
Arabian sunbirdCinnyris hellmayriOman, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen
Abyssinian sunbirdCinnyris habessinicusDjibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, and Uganda
Splendid sunbirdCinnyris coccinigastrustropical Africa
Johanna's sunbirdCinnyris johannaeAfrican tropical rainforest
Superb sunbirdCinnyris superbusAfrican tropical rainforest
Rufous-winged sunbirdCinnyris rufipennisTanzania
Oustalet's sunbirdCinnyris oustaletiAngola, Malawi, Tanzania, and Zambia
White-bellied sunbirdCinnyris talatalaAngola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe
Variable sunbirdCinnyris venustusSub-Saharan Africa
Dusky sunbirdCinnyris fuscusAngola, Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa
Ursula's sunbirdCinnyris ursulaeNigeria, Cameroon, and Equatorial Guinea
Bates's sunbirdCinnyris batesiCentral Africa
Copper sunbirdCinnyris cupreusAngola, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique
Purple sunbirdCinnyris asiaticusSouth and Southeast Asia
Garden sunbird or olive-backed sunbirdCinnyris jugularisThe Philippines
Apricot-breasted sunbirdCinnyris buettikoferiIndonesia
Flame-breasted sunbirdCinnyris solarisTimor, Wetar and Lesser Sundas
Souimanga sunbirdCinnyris sovimangaMadagascar, the Aldabra Group and the Glorioso Islands
Seychelles sunbirdCinnyris dussumieriSeychelles
Malagasy green sunbirdCinnyris notatusComoros and Madagascar
Humblot's sunbirdCinnyris humblotiComoros
Anjouan sunbirdCinnyris comorensisComoros
Mayotte sunbirdCinnyris coquerelliiComoros
Loten's sunbirdCinnyris loteniusIndia and Sri Lanka
Tukangbesi sunbirdCinnyris infrenatusWakatobi Islands, Indonesia
Ornate sunbirdCinnyris ornatusIndochina, Sumatra, Java, Borneo and Lesser Sunda Islands
Sahul sunbirdCinnyris frenatusSulawesi to the Solomon Islands and northeast Australia
Palawan sunbirdCinnyris auroraPalawan and Busuanga Islands, Philippines
South Moluccan sunbirdCinnyris clementiaeMaluku Islands, Indonesia
Flores Sea sunbirdCinnyris teysmanniFlores Sea islands, south of Sulawesi
Mamberamo sunbirdCinnyris idenburginorth New Guinea