"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).

When my son was young, a sunbird built its nest next to a path that is near a forested section of our garden. He had a slightly older friend who came over to play and I thought it would be educational to show them the nest before I left for work. Strict instructions were given not to touch. You can imagine my horror when I returned home from work to see the nest in a box on the dining room table, with the two little darlings playing with the chicks. I was able to re-attach the nest about 1m from its original position. The adults continued to feed the chicks, none the worse for wear and they eventually fledged.