Cape Sugarbird
Promerops cafer
Silhouette: Campbell Fleming · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderPasseriformes (Perching Birds)
- FamilyPromeropidae (Sugarbirds)
- GenusPromerops (Sugarbirds)
- SpeciesPromerops cafer (Cape Sugarbird)
About the Cape Sugarbird
The Cape sugarbird (Promerops cafer) is one of the eight bird species endemic to the Fynbos biome of the Western Cape and Eastern Cape provinces of South Africa. The Cape sugarbird was formally described in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae. He placed it with the bee-eaters in the genus Merops and coined the binomial name Merops cafer. Linnaeus specified the type locality as Ethiopia but this was changed to the Cape of Good Hope by the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson in 1760. The Cape sugarbird is now placed in the genus Promerops that was introduced for the species by Brisson in 1760. The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised.
The Cape sugarbird is a grey-brown bird that is easily recognisable by a spot of yellow under its tail and the very long tail feathers present in males. The male is 34–44 cm long, and the shorter-tailed, shorter-billed, and paler breasted female 25–29 cm long. Another characteristic of the Cape sugarbird is the sound it makes when it flies. The main flight feathers are arranged in such a way that when the bird beats its wings, a frrt-frrt sound is made... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Cape Sugarbird in Table Mountain National Park
LIVEiNaturalistClosest Relatives at Table Mountain National Park
Red-winged Starling
Onychognathus morio
Cape White-eye
Zosterops virens
Southern Double-collared Sunbird
Cinnyris chalybeus
Cape Bulbul
Pycnonotus capensis
Pied Crow
Corvus albus
Karoo Prinia
Prinia maculosa
Olive Thrush
Turdus olivaceus
European Starling
Sturnus vulgaris
Cape Canary
Serinus canicollis
Cape Sparrow
Passer melanurus
Cape Wagtail
Motacilla capensis
Malachite Sunbird
Nectarinia famosa
Global Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Addo Elephant National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Cape Sugarbird in Table Mountain National Park?
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Cape Sugarbird sighting in Table Mountain National Park, based on 2,996 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Cape Sugarbird in Table Mountain National Park?
September has the highest sighting rate for Cape Sugarbird in Table Mountain National Park in our monthly data.