Black Napped Monarch

Common Name:Purple Sunbird

Local Name:-जांभळा शिंजीर, जांभळा सूर्यपक्षी, चुमका, फूलचुखी

Scientific Name: Cinnyris Asiaticus.

Date Of Sighting:- May-2013

Place of Sighting:- Tadoba/Chandrapur/Maharashtra
Bird Family:- Nectariniini-Sunbird and Spider Hunter.

State Bird:-NA

Type:-Resident

Status:-Least Concern

Female

Discription:- 

The Purple Sunbird is small sunbird like other sunbird they feed mainly on Nector,although they will also take insects,especially when feeding young.They have a fast and direct flight and can take nectar by hovering like a humming bird but often perch at base of flower.
The males appear all black except in some lighting when the 

purple iridescence become visible.Female are Olive and yellowish below.

The Purple Sunbird has a relatively short bill,a dark and short square tail.Less than 10 cm long they have a down curve bill with tipped tubular tongues that aid in nectar feeding.The male is glossy metallic purplish black on upper parts with the wings appearing dark brown.The breeding male is glossy metallic purplish black on the upper parts with wings appearing dark brown.The breeding male has the underparts also of the same purplish black,but non-breeding males may show a central streak of black on yellow underparts.In the breeding plumage the male can be confused with the synoptic lotens sunbird which has a long bill and distictive broad maroon band on the breast.Breeding males will some times show their yellow pectoral tufts in display.There is a patch of bright blue on the shoulder of breeding males.The maroon shine on the feathers of collar around the neck is visible mainly during the breeding season.

Females are olive brown above with yellowish underside.There is a pale supercilium beyond the eye..There is a darkish eye strip.The throat and breast are yellow becoming pale towards the vent.The outer tail feathers are tipped in white both in the male and feamle.

They are seen in pairs or small group and aggregation may be found in gardens with suitable flowers.They feed mainly on NEctor but also take fruit and insects.The group of 40 to 50 also has been noted.

Habitat, Region, and Climate:-

1.This species is found in a variety of habitats with some trees,including forest and cultivation.
2.The Sunbird and Spider hunter occupy a wide range of habitats,with majority of species being in primary rain forest but other habitats used by the family including disturbed secondary forest,open woodland,open scrub and Savannah, coastal  scrub and alpine forest.Some species have readily adapted to human modified landscape such as plantation,garden and agricultural land.May species are able to occupy a wide range of habitats from sea level to 4900 m

Territory:-
1.Many sunbirds are known to defend feeding and breeding territories (Cheke et al. 2001); males will sing from 
prominent perch and chase intruders, including those of other species.

Feeding Habits ( food ):- 

1.Flowers produce nectar to attract pollinators. The Purple Sunbird is attracted to red flowers which may have no smell

2. In the present study, Purple Sunbirds visited the Chinese hibiscus in over half of the total visits (Table 1). This 
ornamental plant is available for about eight months of the year. It was present in at all stations in relatively in good numbers. In the study area, flowers’ nectar appeared to comprise over 90% of the bird’s food (based on 
feeding duration). As no sunbird is entirely nectivorous, and nectar alone can not supplement amino-acids requirements, a nectivorous bird may also feed on fruits’ juice and insects

3.Altricial nestlings of Purple Sunbirds need protein during their rapid development (Klasing 2004). Therefore, adults feed their nestlings with small insects (our observations). In Indian subcontinent they feed on insects and spiders, but very largely on flower nectar (Ali 2002). In Oman and UAE they feed often on insects and at flowers of the invasive non-native tree Prosopis juliflora 

Distinctive features:-
1.Male unmistakably dark purple blue.
2.Beak smaller than confusion species,Loten's sunbird.
3.Eclipse male has yellow brest with blue streak extending to the belly.
4.Female has yellowish under parts and faint supercilium

Breeding ,Bird Housing and Nesting
1.Several sunbird and sugarbird species breed when most flowers are out.
2.The Primary breeding season is before the monsoons,April to June in Northen Indian and Jauary to June in Srilanka.
3.Breeding season of the purple sunbird vaies across the asian continent ,generally coinciding with the month where flower are most abdunat.During the Months,the female purple sunbird construct a hanging oval or pear shaped nest from tree,roughly three meters from the ground.The nest is build using an array of material including leaves,grasses,hair,twigs and caterpillerdroppings,all woven together with cobwebs with a small entrance  near the top.
4..The nest entrances of the Purple Sunbirds are so constructed that they are rarely towards south or west. Seemingly, this is done to avoid direct radiation of the sun.

Genaral Size and Shape:- 
1. Length :- 10 Cm/ 4 inch.

Breeding season:-
1.March to May is breeding season.

Egg :-

1. 2 to 3 eggs at time

2. incubation period of 15–17 days
3.It seems that the reproduction season depends on climate in different regions but the number of eggs and hatching period is fixed.

Importance of birds:-

1.Pollination
Pollination is essential for provision of plant derived ecosystem services,yet there have been worldwide declines in pollinator diversity.Many fruit and vegetables require pollinators thus pollination services are critical to reproduction of considerable portion of the vitamins and minerals in Human diet.

2. Sunbird transferring pollen between plant on the tip of its tongue as it probes for Nectar.

Survival,threats and danger:-
1.Habitat Destruction and human activity led to decline in the number of tress and green spaces the purple sunbird can habitat. This is a particular concern in India,where urbanization has increased rapidly.Destruction of nesting has also been recorded.

Plumage

Plumage refers both to the layer of feather that cover a bird and the pattern,color, and arrangement of those feather.Pattern and colors of plumage vary between species and subspecies and can also vary between different age classes,sexes,and seasons.Within species there can also be a number of different color morphs.Differences in plumage are used by ornithologists and birdwatchers to distinguish species and collect other species specific information.

Male in Eclipse Pulmage
Many ducks have bright,colorful plumage,exhibiting strong sexual dimorphism to attract the females.However,they moult into a dull plumage after breeding in mid summer.This drab,female-like appearance is called eclipse plumage.
when they shed feather to go into eclipse,the ducks become flightless for a short period of time.Some ducks species remain in eclipse for one to three months in the late summer and early fall,while other would retain the cryptic plumage until  the next spring when they undergo another moult to return to their breeding pulmage. Although mainly found in the anatidae,a few other species ( For example the related Red Jungle Fowl )also have an eclipse pulmage.In contrast to ducks,Many species of the cotinga family,such as the guianan cock of the rock retain their exuberant plumage thus showing the diversity of the class Aves.
A phase during which the distinctive marking of the bird are obscured by molting of the breeding plumage