Fun Malachite Sunbird Facts For Kids

The malachite sunbird (Nectarinia famosa) is a vibrantly colored bird native to Ethiopia, South Africa, and hilly Fynbos. This species of sunbirds are commonly found in highlands, shrublands, parks, and gardens, where they can find a variety of flowers for nectar, at an altitude of 7800-9800 ft (2400-3000 m). A complete description of the bird would be; the adult male malachite sunbird has metallic green plumage. The male’s upperparts are blackish-green wings with bright yellow pectoral tufts and long central tail feathers during the breeding season and brown with green wings in the non-breeding (eclipse) season. Females are always a dull brown in color and have shorter square-ended tails than males; juveniles resemble the female Malachite Sunbird. The sunbird (Nectarinia famosa) malachite is mainly a nectarivore but occasionally perches to hunt insects for feeding their juvenile. The female lays one to three dark green spotted eggs over two weeks, two to three times in a year; their nest can be reused but is viable to be parasitized by the cuckoo bird. It likes to build its nest in a bush or shrub.For more relatable content, check out these saffron finch facts and calliope hummingbird facts for kids.

What do they prey on? Nectar and occasionally insects

What do they eat? Nectarivore

Average litter size? 1-3 eggs

How much do they weigh? 0.5 oz (14 g)

How long are they? Adult males: 10 in (25 cm)Adult females: 6 in (15 cm)‍

How tall are they? N/A

What do they look like? An adult male is metallic green while breeding, otherwise brown and females are brown in color with thin curved bills.

Skin Type Feathers

What were their main threats? Cuckoos Can Parasitize Their Nest

What is their conservation status? Least Concern

Where you’ll find them? Shrublands, Parks, And Gardens, Highlands

Locations Ethiopia, South Africa, And Fynbos

Kingdom Animalia

Genus Nectarinia

Class Aves

Family Nectariniidae

Malachite Sunbird Interesting FactsWhat type of animal is a malachite sunbird?The Nectarinia famosa malachite sunbird is a bird.What class of animal does a malachite sunbird belong to?Malachite sunbird (Nectarinia famosa) belongs to the class Aves (bird).How many malachite sunbirds are there in the world?The exact population of malachite sunbird (Nectarinia famosa) is unknown; it has been categorized as Least Concern in the ICUN Red List.Where does a malachite sunbird live?They mainly live in highlands, shrublands, parks, and gardens of South Africa, western Swaziland, and hilly Fynbos.What is a malachite sunbird’s habitat?The sunbird nectarinia famosa malachite lives at 7800-9800 ft (2400-3000 m). It likes open habitats like highlands and shrublands for nesting and usually builds its nest in a bush or shrub in gardens and parks.Who do malachite sunbirds live with?The Nectarinia famosa species are monogamous and mate for life. During the breeding season, they are highly territorial but very social birds otherwise. They forage and travel in flocks of 30-40 birds and feed individually or in pairs.How long does a malachite sunbird live?This long-tailed sunbird species usually have a long life span recorded to live up to 14 years in the wild and 22 years in managed care.How do they reproduce?The Nectarinia famosa malachite sunbird is monogamous; the female chooses one male malachite Sunbird to mate with. The female builds the nest alone (like most sunbird species) and lays one to three dark-spotted green eggs over two weeks, two times a year. Both sexes feed and rear the chicks.What is their conservation status?Sunbird Nectarinia famosa malachite is categorized as Least Concern. Their population has more than 10,000 mature individuals and has seen a population decline of less than ten percent in the last ten years or three generations.Malachite Sunbird Fun FactsWhat do malachite sunbirds look like?A breeding adult male malachite sunbird (Nectrinia famosa) has metallic green plumage unique to malachite sunbird feathers; the male’s upper parts have blackish-green wings and black underparts with small bright yellow pectoral patches and very long central tail feathers. The non-breeding eclipse plumage for an adult malachite sunbird has brown upperparts, green wings, and a tail. The underparts are yellow and green. This species of sunbirds, like others, have thin, long, and curved bills.The malachite sunbird female of this species is brown in color with dull yellow streaking on the breast. A shorter square-ended compared to the adult makes a malachite sunbird feather. The juvenile’s description resembles the female in visuals.How cute are they?The malachite sunbird (Nectarinia famosa) is very cute owing to its uniquely colored plumage and small size. Like most nectarivorous birds, they are very light as well.How do they communicate?Nectarinia famosa has a contact call of ’tseuu, tseuu’ and ’tsi-tseer’. A repeated shrill ’trreeeee’ is the alarm call, or a slower ’tjoep, tjoep, tjoep’. This sunbird’s song is a series of long alternating high and low whistles. When in non-breeding eclipse plumage, the male sings a different rapid warble.How big is a malachite sunbirdAn adult male malachite sunbird (Nectarinia famosa) is 10 in (25 cm) in height, most of its length to its long central tail feathers. The size is around two times that of a sparrow and smaller two times smaller than common swift and one-third the size of a martian eagle. The female malachite sunbird and kingfisher are the same size at 6 in (15 cm).How fast can a malachite sunbird fly?Owing to its small size and lightweight, malachite sunbird (Nectarinia famosa) can fly at speeds up to 30 mph (50 kph). Their speed makes it hard for wildlife photographers and tourists to click Malachite sunbird photos when they are in flight.How much does a malachite sunbird weigh?The malachite sunbird (Nectarinia famosa) is a lightweight bird; it weighs 0.5 oz (14 g).What are the male and female names of the species?The male and female malachite sunbird (Nectarinia famosa) are not differentiated using their names specifically. The sex is mentioned before the name to remove any confusion when in context. Visually, the two sexes look very different.What would you call a baby malachite sunbird?A baby malachite sunbird (Nectarinia famosa) or juvenile is used to refer to a newborn of the species who do not leave the nest and are not capable of flight. No particular term is used to refer to the chicks.What do they eat?The long-tailed malachite sunbird (Nectarinia famosa) feeds of nectar from flowers like flowering coral eloe, flowering protea plant.Are they poisonous?No, Nectarinia famosa (malachite sunbird) are not poisonous.Would they make a good pet?No, they wouldn’t make a good pet. Malachite sunbirds are fast-flying free birds whose habitat only includes open areas for nesting. Their life would significantly decrease in captivity. The cage bird trade is one of the biggest threats to a bird’s population in most cases.Did you know…The Nectarinia famosa (malachite sunbird) has two subspecies; N. f. famosa found in South Africa, Fynbos, and western Swaziland and N. f. cupreonitens in Ethiopia.A feature unique to this bird species is that a sleeping malachite sunbird (adult male) displays its yellow pectoral tufts. It is suspected that the light-colored feathers give the illusion of eyes in the darkness and ward off predators.The Nectarinia famosa (Malachite Sunbird) is also one of the few bird species that exhibit sexual dimorphism; the adult male and female species look different.These birds are also referred to as ‘green sugar birds’ because of their eye-catching metallic green color and nectarivorous diet. Sunbirds can also be fed by giving them spiders and small insects in addition to flowers.Malachite sunbirds are often compared to hummingbirds because they are both nectarivores. Still, there are a few stark differences between them. While malachite sunbirds are gregarious and communal birds, hummingbirds are solitary and non-communal birds. While drinking nectar, hummingbirds always pollinate plants. At the same time, sunbirds are known to often skip the process of pollination by puncturing the base, near the nectaries, for feeding themselves. It is tough to capture both birds in photos during flight.How did malachite sunbirds get their name?Malachite sunbirds are called so because the green color of the bird is the same as the secondary copper mineral, Malachite. Sunbirds are small birds with downward curved bills and iridescent plumage.Is the malachite sunbird endangered?No, they are not endangered yet. According to the ICUN Red List, they are categorized as Least Concern, which means they have more than 10,000 mature individuals, and their population had seen a decline of less than 10 percent in the last ten years.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these snowy plover facts and Savannah Sparrow facts pages.You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Malachite Sunbird coloring pages.

What type of animal is a malachite sunbird?

The Nectarinia famosa malachite sunbird is a bird.

Fun Malachite Sunbird Facts For Kids

What do they prey on? Nectar and occasionally insects

What do they eat? Nectarivore

Average litter size? 1-3 eggs

How much do they weigh? 0.5 oz (14 g)

How long are they? Adult males: 10 in (25 cm)Adult females: 6 in (15 cm)‍

How tall are they? N/A

What do they look like? An adult male is metallic green while breeding, otherwise brown and females are brown in color with thin curved bills.

Skin Type Feathers

What were their main threats? Cuckoos Can Parasitize Their Nest

What is their conservation status? Least Concern

Where you’ll find them? Shrublands, Parks, And Gardens, Highlands

Locations Ethiopia, South Africa, And Fynbos

Kingdom Animalia

Genus Nectarinia

Class Aves

Family Nectariniidae

Fun Malachite Sunbird Facts For Kids

What do they prey on? Nectar and occasionally insects

What do they eat? Nectarivore

Average litter size? 1-3 eggs

How much do they weigh? 0.5 oz (14 g)

How long are they? Adult males: 10 in (25 cm)Adult females: 6 in (15 cm)‍

How tall are they? N/A

What do they look like? An adult male is metallic green while breeding, otherwise brown and females are brown in color with thin curved bills.

Skin Type Feathers

What were their main threats? Cuckoos Can Parasitize Their Nest

What is their conservation status? Least Concern

Where you’ll find them? Shrublands, Parks, And Gardens, Highlands

Locations Ethiopia, South Africa, And Fynbos

Kingdom Animalia

Genus Nectarinia

Class Aves

Family Nectariniidae

Fun Malachite Sunbird Facts For Kids

What do they prey on? Nectar and occasionally insects

What do they eat? Nectarivore

Average litter size? 1-3 eggs

How much do they weigh? 0.5 oz (14 g)

How long are they? Adult males: 10 in (25 cm)Adult females: 6 in (15 cm)‍

How tall are they? N/A

What do they look like? An adult male is metallic green while breeding, otherwise brown and females are brown in color with thin curved bills.

Skin Type Feathers

What were their main threats? Cuckoos Can Parasitize Their Nest

What is their conservation status? Least Concern

Where you’ll find them? Shrublands, Parks, And Gardens, Highlands

Locations Ethiopia, South Africa, And Fynbos

Kingdom Animalia

Genus Nectarinia

Class Aves

Family Nectariniidae