Crimson Sunbird – juvenile male feeding on Malayan Mistletoe

“Saw a number of Crimson Sunbirds (Aethopyga siparaja siparaja) feeding on the fruit and nectar of Malayan Mistletoe (Dendrophthae pentandra).

“Some images of a very young juvenile male taken 8 days apart. Details on juveniles are lacking for the region (Wells 2007). Images above and below were taken on 16th…

“…and the two images below were taken on 24th January 2018. I believe they are the same bird as it is the exact same feeding tree.

“Note that even on 16th January, when I felt the bird had recently fledged, there is presence of some red on the throat (see top image). At this time the bird was largely dependent on feeding from the parent (adult female) but could do some self-nectar feeding (see image second from top). Eight days later the bird looks more mature and confident and has faint mustacial streak developing (above). It still had some juvenile begging behaviour but feed frequently on nectar by itself (below).

“Note bright orange feet and bill. The iris is dark brown as in the adults (reviewed the many images I took). I suspect, also from looking at many images online, that the red throat is an early feature in male juveniles.

Dato’ Dr Amar-Singh HSS
Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia
16th and 24th January 2018

Location: Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia
Habitat: Fruit and vegetable farming surrounded by secondary growth at city fringe