Family NECTARINIIDAE Vigors, 1825

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• Nectarinidae Vigors, 1825.

Introduction

The family Nectarinidae has its centre of distribution in palaeotropical Africa and Asia, extending through the Indonesian Archipelago to many south-west Pacific islands. These diminutive birds are one of the most colourful of species of the region. One hundred and twenty-nine species are recognised in 17 genera, however numbers of genera and their included species are highly debatable (Dickinson 2003). Only one species occurs in Australia, restricted to the continent's north-east where it is usually closely associated with the seaboard (Schodde & Mason 1999). This sole representative of the family occurs extralimitally, in several south-west Pacific islands. In Australia it is represented by a single subspecies also found in the Moluccas and Aru Islands of Indonesia and on the New Guinea mainland. Movements in Australia are uncertain: they are highly nomadic and show a possibly migratory movement across Torres Strait.

The sunbirds feed primarily on invertebrates but also take nectar. They are arboreal, feeding by gleaning, hawking, hovering and snatching to obtain their prey. Often the birds are found to be gregarious, particularly post breeding or centred about food sources. At other times they tend to be in small parties or, on occasion, solitary. Sunbirds occupy habitats that include food trees and shrubs on which they are dependant; these include wet and dry forests, bordering woodlands, mangroves and human habitation.

Long pendulous nests are diagnostic for the species. 'A small globular structure of fibre and bark strips bound with cobweb and lined with vegetable down; with hooded side entrance and a long trailing tail attached at the base' (Longmore 1991). Nests are situated in the outer hanging limbs of shrubs and are often attached under the eaves and verandahs of tropical dwellings. Two, sometimes three, eggs are laid in the nest. The eggs have a greenish base colour and are blotched and marbled by grey, greyish-brown and olive markings.

Diagnosis

'Nostrils are rounded and fully operculate with lateral opening slits, and, instead of coarse irregular serrations on the maxilla alone, both maxilla and mandible carry an even, close-set row of microscopic tuberculate teeth on the tomia … [and have] fully double fossa in the head of the humerus and tiny twin ectethmoid foramina, indicate affinities with the passeroid southeast Asian flowerpeckers (Dicaeidae, q.v.).'

Diagnosis References

Schodde, R. & Mason, I.J. 1999. The Directory of Australian Birds : Passerines. A Taxonomic and Zoogeographic Atlas of the Biodiversity of Birds in Australia and its Territories. Collingwood, Australia : CSIRO Publishing x 851 pp.

General References

Dickinson, E.C. (ed.) 2003. The Howard & Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World. London : Christopher Helm 1039 pp.

Longmore, W. 1991. Honeyeaters & their Allies of Australia. Sydney : Angus and Robertson.

Schodde, R. & Mason, I.J. 1999. The Directory of Australian Birds : Passerines. A Taxonomic and Zoogeographic Atlas of the Biodiversity of Birds in Australia and its Territories. Collingwood, Australia : CSIRO Publishing x 851 pp.

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