Crimson Sunbird
Aethopyga siparaja
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderPasseriformes (Perching Birds)
- FamilyNectariniidae (Sunbirds and Spiderhunters)
- GenusAethopyga (Red Sunbirds and Allies)
- SpeciesAethopyga siparaja (Crimson Sunbird)
About the Crimson Sunbird
The crimson sunbird (Aethopyga siparaja) is a species of bird in the sunbird family which feed largely on nectar. They may also take insects, especially when feeding their young. Flight is fast and direct on their short wings. Most species can take nectar by hovering like a hummingbird, but usually perch to feed. It is the unofficial national bird of Singapore, as declared by the Nature Society Singapore.
Crimson sunbirds are tiny, only 11 cm long. They have medium-length thin down-curved bills and brush-tipped tubular tongues, both adaptations to their nectar feeding. The adult male has a crimson breast and maroon back, with black malar stripes. The rump is yellow and the belly is olive. The female has an olive-green back, yellowish breast and white tips to the outer tail feathers. In most of the range, males have a long green-blue tail, but A.s. nicobarica of the Nicobar Islands and the former subspecies A. vigorsii (Western crimson sunbird) of the Western Ghats of India lack the long central tail feathers. Their call is chee-cheewee.
The crimson sunbird is a resident breeder in tropical southern Asia from India, through Nepal, Pakistan... Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Bako National Park
Temminck's Sunbird
Aethopyga temminckii
Brown-throated Sunbird
Anthreptes malacensis
Ruby-cheeked Sunbird
Chalcoparia singalensis
Van Hasselt's Sunbird
Leptocoma brasiliana
Little Spiderhunter
Arachnothera longirostra
Copper-throated Sunbird
Leptocoma calcostetha
Red-throated Sunbird
Anthreptes rhodolaemus
Long-billed Spiderhunter
Arachnothera robusta
Plain Sunbird
Anthreptes simplex
Yellow-eared Spiderhunter
Arachnothera chrysogenys
Gray-breasted Spiderhunter
Arachnothera modesta
Common Iora
Aegithina tiphia
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Crimson Sunbird in Bako National Park?
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Crimson Sunbird sighting in Bako National Park, based on 44 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Crimson Sunbird in Bako National Park?
January has the highest sighting rate for Crimson Sunbird in Bako National Park in our monthly data.