"Tiny Beauty", Southern Double-collared Sunbird Is A Star Of The Forest (8 Photos)

Where the Americas have hummingbirds, the Old World has sunbirds; brightly coloured jewels that flash in the light. The males often wear showy colours which makes identification straightforward while females tend towards the dull and difficult (my non-birding, proof-reading wife has just suggested that I change that last sentence, but you know what I mean).

It is a common endemic that covers most of the eastern side of South Africa, including part of Swaziland but not Lesotho. It is a common resident in the Upper Highway area and not at all threatened. Interesting Facts: Sunbirds have different bill shapes and sizes that make it a species that is better suited for a specific flower for nectar extraction. This is thought to result from co-evolution, a process whereby two species undergo reciprocal genetic changes and develop traits to help each other.