The purple sunbird has a shiny/metallic blue or purple head which is glossy and its sweet consistent chirp is difficult to miss if you are paying attention.
It can be easily confused with a hummingbird. It's size is that of a sparrow. A male Purple Sunbird is similar looking to a Loten's Sunbird and are found through out India. They can be seen in gardens, groves, cultivated and scrub country as well as light deciduous forest.
The first time I saw it was in front of my house but by the time I fetched the camera it had flown away. The second time I saw it I was almost lucky and I managed to capture the silhouette. Well, they say third time is a charm and it was, this time for some reason, it was like it knew I wanted to photograph it, so it stayed a little longer and closer. I got a few shots. But the fourth time was special - it came close to where I was standing and the feeling was surreal.
This little tiny bird eats insects and spiders, and very largely flower nectar.
It has a very slender curved bill as similar to other sun birds.
Nesting season is March to May.
The males are black while the females are olive above and yellowish below.
This is my third sighting of the third kind of a sun bird.
This is the first type which was hard to miss and it was hitting consistently on our window. This bird is Purple rumped sunbird from Wayanad.
This is the second one in Sabathu, Himachal Pradesh again an aunt's garden. This is a Crimson Sunbird.
Sunbirds are found in 145 species (in 16 genera) and I am happy to have spotted at least three kinds. Their counterparts are hummingbirds and honey eaters. They can hover like hummingbirds while drinking nectar but they usually perch to feed.
I have to learn a lot more and hopefully see more of these sunbirds with their iridescent colours around the world.
Here are more shots of the Purple Sunbird in a video:
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