Two species that are similarly colored, but quite different in size.
In here you will see 4 shots of the male and his female, and then 4 shots of the other sunbird and his female. It was the one non misty day of the week, and we were happy to see the sunshine. I think that the birds were also happy about the weather. The two sunbird species are not only different in size, but they are also different in song, as the double-collared has a full song with many notes.
The malachite in the four shots in the second half of the post has only a loud, single note. I have heard that loud single note so many times, and also the song of the double-collared that I know instinctively where and what they are. I am also happy to report that I found the nest of the malachites, and soon it will be baby time again. I only hope that I will be able to get the malachite babies on camera again.
This one is a Southern Double-collared Sunbird (Cinnyris chalybeus).
And that is the female Southern Double-collared Sunbird.
Now I will show you the other sunbird specie below.
This mister is too big to sit on the flowers that the double-collared sits on, but his wife is much smaller, and she also sits on the same flowers as the double-collareds.
Like I said, the malachite female below is small enough to sit on the same flowers as the double-collareds.
By now you must know, if you follow me, about my love for the sunbirds. We have many species of them here and I have posted some other species in the past, but these two are my main favorites. The malachites don't appear all year round as they only pop up out of nowhere, as we have seen them now during the last two weeks of winter. The double-collareds, however, are here all year round. Which reminds me that the butterflies and dragonflies have also started to appear in these last weeks of winter, strange, as in the past they would start in early spring.
You are welcome to google both species in here in Wikipedia as they will give you much more information and pictures about these wonderful little birds. I have mentioned excerpts of Wikipedia about the birds in all of my previous posts about them, and now all the readers on here that follow me are conversant with their habits and manners. It seems that the seasons have changed, and I wonder if they will continue to change even more, but for now this is how it is. Such is life.
I hope you enjoyed the pictures and the story.
Photos by Zac Smith. All-Rights-Reserved.
Camera: Canon PowershotSX70HS Bridge camera.
Until next time, cheers!
