Purple Sunbird (Nectarinia asiatica)
Order: PASSERIFORMES
Family: NECTARINIIDAE Sunbirds, Spiderhunters
Scientific name: Nectarinia asiatica
English name: Purple Sunbird
Characteristic: Size 11 cm. A very small shining dark bird. A male has its head, neck, breast and upperpart brilliantly bluish-purple; underpart dark purple with a reddish brown band traversing its breast and upper belly. In non-breeding plumage a male is similar to a female, except that he has a wide purple streak starting at mid-throat down to upper breast. A female has brownish green upperpart; pale yellowish underpart and a narrow pale tail tip.
Distribution: From the Middle East to India ,Southeast Asia, except Malaysia.
Habitat: Living in mixed deciduous forest, scrub forest, open grounds, etc. in Sakaerat area, this bird is confined only to dry dipterocarp forest.
Habit: Usually seen singly or in pairs, foraging among flowering twigs, from whitch it can obtain its staple food of nectar. Furthermore, it also takes some insects and insect larvae found in the foliage or coming occasionally to visit flowers. Breeding season starts from February to June; a flask-shaped nest is built hanging from a twig, about 1-6 m above the ground. it lays a clutch 2-3 greyish to greenish white eggs dotted all over with brown.
Status: A resident bird, quite scarce in Sakaerat forest. It is protected wild animal
