The Southern double-collared sunbird

We see the Southern couble-collard sunbirds every day in our gardens or in the fynbos, where they feed on the nectar of proteas and other fynbos.

The adult male has a glossy, metallic green head, upper breast and back. Below the green breast, he sports a stunning metallic blue band, followed by a brilliant red collar. The rest of the underparts are whitish grey.

When the male wants to display his superiority to other males, or wants to impress females, yellow feather tufts show on his shoulders.

Compared to his brilliance, the female southern double-collared sunbird looks a bit dull. She has brown upperparts and yellowish-grey underparts. The juvenile looks the same.

The Southern double-collared sunbird has a long and decurved bill, all the better to get nectar from the flowers. They also eat insects and spiders.

Their flight is fast.

The call is a hard chee-chee, and the song is high pitched jumble of tinkling notes, rising and falling in pitch and tempo for 3–5 seconds or more.

The juveniles tweet faintly while flitting from one flower to the next.

Nest

They build a closed oval nest from grass and other plant material, bound together with spider webs. The side entrance of the nest has a balcony, making feeding of the nestlings easier.

In Rooiels we have observed the inside of the next is lined with feathers, dog hairs and down from the camphor bush.

Distribution and habitat

Habitat

This sunbird is common in our area. They are endemic to southern Africa, occurring from the far south of Namibia to South Africa, with the bulk of its population centered around the Western Cape extending east and north to KwaZulu-Natal, Swaziland, Mpumalanga and Limpopo Province. Status: Least Concern

2025.11.01 - Inserted photo of a fledgling Southern couble-collard sunbird