Marico Sunbird ( Cinnyris mariquensis, family: Nectariniidae)
The Marico Sunbird (Latin name Cinnyris mariquensis) is described in
Roberts Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition. This bird has a unique
Roberts number of 779 and you will find a full description of this bird
on page 998 also a picture of the Marico Sunbird on page 977. The Marico
Sunbird belongs to the family of birds classified as Nectariniidae.
According to the Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology the
Marico Sunbird is also known by these other names: Mariqua Sunbird.
In the previous edition of Roberts (ie 6th edition) the Marico Sunbird was called the . The Robert's 7 Latin name for Marico Sunbird has changed from Nectarinia mariquensis in Robert's 6 to Cinnyris mariquensis.
The map of the Kruger you see on this page shows the areas (coloured orange) where this bird has been identified. The basic information was provided by the Avian Demographic Unit based at UCT and I created the maps from that information ... the green dots show the locations of the various Kruger National Park Rest Camps
The Marico Sunbird is neither Endemic or near Endemic to the Kruger National Park. It is however a common resident
In terms of distribution of the Marico Sunbird in the Kruger National Park you may not see it in all areas. Marico Sunbird : see above distribution map.
Identification assistance for this avian species ...
One of the first indicators to take note of when trying to identify a bird is it relative size. For example how big is the bird compared to a well known familiar bird. The Marico Sunbird is an extremely small bird about half the size of a house sparrow. The height of the Marico Sunbird is about 11 cms and its weight is about 11 gms
The male and female Marico Sunbird have the same plumage and colours
- Head is green.
- Eye is brown.
- Bill is black.
- Throat is green.
- Back is green.
- Legs are black.
This bird has normally proportioned leg length.
Main diet items for this bird ...
The Marico Sunbird feeds on the ground, and on the wing mainly
Invertebrates
Seeds
Nectar
Breeding and nesting habits for this bird ...
The Marico Sunbird is monogamous unless its mate dies. In the event of a partner dying Cinnyris mariquensis will seek out a new mate
The nesting habit of Marico Sunbird is to create the nest in branches of a tree or shrub. The bird lays eggs which are white in colour and number between 1 to 3
Habitat and flocking behaviour for this bird ...
The preferred habitats for Marico Sunbird are: woodlands and grasslands and riverine areas
You can see Marico Sunbird in flocks. The bird will often also be seen singly.
Names of this avian species in other languages ...
Xhosa ... Unknown
Zulu ... Unknown
Afrikaans ...Maricosuikerbekkie
German ... Bindennektarvogel
Portuguese ... Beija-flor de Marico
French ... Souimanga de Mariqua
Dutch ... Marico-Honingzuiger Marico/Mariqua
First bird in list | Previous bird viewed | Next KNP bird | Last bird in list
For in-depth birding information please refer to these authoritative avian references ...
Robert's 7th edition number ... 779
Narina Trogon ( Apaloderma narina fam. Trogonidae) Kruger Park Birds & Birding ref Roberts 7
Accipitridae ... Typical Raptors, Old Vultures, Osprey
Spur-winged Goose ( Plectropterus gambensis fam. Anatidae) Kruger Park Birds & Birding ref Roberts 7
African Rail ( Rallus caerulescens fam. Rallidae) Kruger Park Birds & Birding ref Roberts 7
The main reference source for this data was "Roberts - Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition" . Other references were "Newmans Birds of the Kruger Park" by Keith Newman published circa 1980 . Names in foreign languages were obtained from the Percy Fitzpatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town website , www.fitzpatrick.uct.ac.za
