Ruby-cheeked Sunbird
Chalcoparia singalensis
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderPasseriformes (Perching Birds)
- FamilyNectariniidae (Sunbirds and Spiderhunters)
- GenusChalcoparia
- SpeciesChalcoparia singalensis (Ruby-cheeked Sunbird)
About the Ruby-cheeked Sunbird
The ruby-cheeked sunbird (Chalcoparia singalensis) is a species of sunbird in the family Nectariniidae. The ruby-cheeked sunbird was formally described in 1789 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae. He placed it with the wagtails in the genus Motacilla and coined the binomial name Motacilla singalensis. Gmelin erroneously specified the type locality as Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) where the species does not occur. The locality was designated as Malacca on the Malay Peninsula by the American ornithologist Harry C. Oberholser in 1912. Gmelin based his account on the "green warbler" from the East Indies that had been described and illustrated in 1776 by the English naturalist Peter Brown. The ruby-cheeked sunbird is now the only species placed in the genus Chalcoparia that was introduced in 1850 by the German ornithologist Jean Cabanis. The genus name is from Ancient Greek khalkoparēos meaning "with cheeks of bronze". The specific epithet is from the erroneous type locality, Sri Lanka.
Eleven subspecies are recognised: C. s. assamensis Kloss, 1930 – east Himalayas and Bangladesh to south China,... Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Sepilok
Brown-throated Sunbird
Anthreptes malacensis
Crimson Sunbird
Aethopyga siparaja
Little Spiderhunter
Arachnothera longirostra
Purple-naped Spiderhunter
Hypogramma hypogrammicum
Plain Sunbird
Anthreptes simplex
Red-throated Sunbird
Anthreptes rhodolaemus
Van Hasselt's Sunbird
Leptocoma brasiliana
Yellow-eared Spiderhunter
Arachnothera chrysogenys
Thick-billed Spiderhunter
Arachnothera crassirostris
Spectacled Spiderhunter
Arachnothera flavigaster
Copper-throated Sunbird
Leptocoma calcostetha
Long-billed Spiderhunter
Arachnothera robusta
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
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sepilok | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 2 | Way Kambas National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 3 | Kaeng Krachan National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 4 | Bako National Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 5 | Cat Tien National Park | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | |
| 6 | Tanjung Puting National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 7 | Danum Valley Conservation Area | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 8 | Khao Luang National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 9 | Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 10 | Khao Sok National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 11 | Khao Yai National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 12 | Kaziranga National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 13 | Taman Negara National Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 14 | Kerinci Seblat National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 15 | Gunung Leuser National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 16 | Kinabalu Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 17 | Doi Inthanon National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 18 | Manas National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 19 | Royal Manas National Park | 🇧🇹 Bhutan | |
| 20 | Namdapha National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 21 | Chitwan National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Ruby-cheeked Sunbird in Sepilok?
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Ruby-cheeked Sunbird sighting in Sepilok, based on 845 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Ruby-cheeked Sunbird in Sepilok?
July has the highest sighting rate for Ruby-cheeked Sunbird in Sepilok in our monthly data.