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18

Olive-backed Sunbird (Cinnyris jugularis) Alternate name(s): "Yellow-bellied Sunbird", "Yellow-breasted Sunbird" Aboriginal name(s): "tirridirri" Size: 10-12 cm Weight: 8-10 g

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Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Olive-backed Sunbirds are very small nectar-eating birds. Their plumage is dimorphic, i.e. males and females are different. Male Olive-backed Sunbirds have, as their most prominent feature, a metallic-blue "bib" (or "gorget") down their throat and the width of their breast. The belly, flanks, vent and undertail coverts are bright-yellow. The frons, crown and back are all citrine-olive. The flight feathers have dark-grey leading edges, while the uppertail is dark-grey. They have narrow bright-yellow eyebrows. Female Olive-backed Sunbirds do not have the metallic-blue "gorget". Their entire front, from throat to undertail coverts, is bright-yellow. The eyes of both sexes have dark-brown irises. The long, slightly down-curved bill is dark-grey. The legs and feet are grey. Juvenile Olive-backed Sunbirds resemble females.

Taxonomy, classification See Olive-backed Sunbird at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Olive-backed Sunbird is available HERE . Olive-backed Sunbirds are found throughout the tropics of south-eastern Asia, from Myanmar, southern China and Vietnam, via Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia and Timor Leste to the Solomon Islands and, via the islands along Torres Strait to tropical near-coastal north-eastern Australia. In Australia only Olive-backed Sunbirds, race "frenatus", are present. They are found only along the North-East coast of Australia, from the tropic of Capricorn at Yeppoon, QLD, to the tip of Cape York peninsula and also on the western coastline of the peninsula, as far South as about Kowanyama, QLD. Olive-backed Sunbirds are usually found in mangroves and around the edges of rainforest. They adapt very well to the presence of humans and are also found in urban parks and gardens.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "frenatus" R. Russell reports finding Olive-backed Sunbirds, race "frenatus", at Mount Molloy, QLD, in May 2009 and in September 2010. A male Olive-backed Sunbird, race "frenatus", was spotted by us in Byfield NP, QLD, in July 2009, which is right on the southern edge of the species' range. L. Tonnochy reports spotting an Olive-backed Sunbird, race "frenatus", 20 km West of Townsville in October 2011 and again in May 2012. B. Hensen spotted Olive-backed Sunbirds, race "frenatus", in and around Cairns, QLD, in June/July 2013. M. Mearns reports spotting Olive-backed Sunbirds, race "frenatus", near Cooktown, QLD, in October 2008. M. Eaton reports finding Olive-backed Sunbirds, race "frenatus", in the Town of 1770, QLD, in September 2017, and at Cattana Wetlands, Cairns, QLD, in November 2018. A. Lee reports seeing Olive-backed Sunbirds, race "frenatus", regularly at East Russell, near Cairns, QLD, where they were found nesting in the 2019 and 2020 breeding seasons. J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours reports that Olive-backed Sunbirds, race "frenatus", are commonly found along the Daintree River, QLD, where they also breed annually.

Photos

Race "frenatus"

ADULT

MALE

Frontal view of a male Olive-backed Sunbird; note the glossy blue "bib" with its black fringe, which is not always clearly shown in field guides (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Cairns, QLD, July 2013]

Frontal view of a male Olive-backed Sunbird (photo courtesy of R. Russell)
[Mount Molloy, QLD, May 2009]

Frontal view of a male Olive-backed Sunbird, now seen preening and thereby exposing its light-grey underwing
(photo courtesy of R. Russell)
[Mount Molloy, QLD, May 2009]

Close-up near-frontal/ventral view of a male Olive-backed Sunbird (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Cattana Wetlands, Cairns, QLD, November 2018]

Close-up near-frontal/ventral view of a male Olive-backed Sunbird (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Cattana Wetlands, Cairns, QLD, November 2018]

Lateral view of a male Olive-backed Sunbird (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Town of 1770, QLD, September 2017]

Lateral view of a male Olive-backed Sunbird (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Cairns, QLD, July 2013]

Lateral view of onto the upperparts of a male Olive-backed Sunbird (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Lakefield NP, Cape York peninsula, QLD, August 2019]

Lateral/ventral of a male Olive-backed Sunbird (photo courtesy of R. Russell)
[Mount Molloy, QLD, September 2010]

Near-dorsal view of a male Olive-backed Sunbird turning sideways (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Town of 1770, QLD, September 2017]

FEMALE

Frontal view of a female Olive-backed Sunbird (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Town of 1770, QLD, September 2017]

Frontal view of a female Olive-backed Sunbird (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Cairns, QLD, June 2013]

Near-frontal view of a female Olive-backed Sunbird (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Town of 1770, QLD, September 2017]

Near-lateral view of a female Olive-backed Sunbird (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Town of 1770, QLD, September 2017]

Close-up near-lateral view of a female Olive-backed Sunbird (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Town of 1770, QLD, September 2017]

Lateral view of a female Olive-backed Sunbird (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Cairns, QLD, July 2013]

Dorsal view of a female Olive-backed Sunbird (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Town of 1770, QLD, September 2017]

PAIR

Pair of Olive-backed Sunbirds squabbling with the competition in the mirror (photo courtesy of M. Mearns)
[Near Cooktown, QLD, October 2008]

Pair of Olive-backed Sunbirds at their nest (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Lakefield NP, Cape York peninsula, QLD, August 2019]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Near-lateral view of a juvenile Olive-backed Sunbird; note the orange gape
(photo courtesy of J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours)
[Daintree River, QLD, April 2019]

Dorsal view of a fledgling Olive-backed Sunbird (photo courtesy of A. Lee)
[East Russell, near Cairns, QLD, November 2020]

Breeding information

Breeding season: Oct - Feb

Eggs: 2 - 3

Incubation period: 15 days

Fledging age: ca. 15 days

The period listed above is the core breeding period; given the right conditions, Olive-backed Sunbirds can breed at any time of the year.

Nest building: Female

Incubation: Female

Dependent care: Female & male

Nest

"bungobittah", "lar", "malunna", "jindi" [bundjalung] = nest [Aboriginal]

Type: Domed hanging bottle

Material: Bark strips, grass, rootlets, webs, paperbark flakes, spiders' cocoons

Height above ground: 1 - 2(?) m

Female Olive-backed Sunbird in its nest (photo courtesy of J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours)
[Daintree River, QLD, January 2019]

Female Olive-backed Sunbird at the entrance of its nest (photo courtesy of J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours)
[Daintree River, QLD, April 2019]

Female Olive-backed Sunbird at the entrance of its nest (photo courtesy of J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours)
[Daintree River, QLD, April 2019]

Female Olive-backed Sunbird adding material to camouflage its nest
(photo courtesy of J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours)
[Daintree River, QLD, July 2019]

Pair of Olive-backed Sunbirds at their nest; the male may be taking an interest, but usually does not help with nest construction and incubation (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Lakefield NP, Cape York peninsula, QLD, August 2019]

Male Olive-backed Sunbird at its nest (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Lakefield NP, Cape York peninsula, QLD, August 2019]

Olive-backed Sunbird nest in its natural surroundings (photo courtesy of A. Lee)
[East Russell, near Cairns, QLD, December 2019]

Having been built low above a creek, later this Olive-backed Sunbird nest required a rescue by a friendly helper
(photo courtesy of A. Lee)
[East Russell, near Cairns, QLD, December 2019]

Female Olive-backed Sunbird carrying material to its nest (photo courtesy of J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours)
[Daintree River, QLD, January 2019]

Lateral view of a female Olive-backed Sunbird carrying material to camouflage its nest
(photo courtesy of J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours)
[Daintree River, QLD, July 2019]

Female Olive-backed Sunbird bringing material to line its nest (photo courtesy of A. Lee)
[East Russell, near Cairns, QLD, December 2019]

Frontal view of an Olive-backed Sunbird nest (photo courtesy of A. Lee)
[East Russell, near Cairns, QLD, November 2020]

Lateral view of an Olive-backed Sunbird nest, showing the roof-covered sideway entrance (photo courtesy of A. Lee)
[East Russell, near Cairns, QLD, November 2020]

Female Olive-backed Sunbird at its nest, this time built under a roof and attached to an old ventilator fan
(photo courtesy of A. Lee)
[East Russell, near Cairns, QLD, December 2019]

Female Olive-backed Sunbird in its nest (photo courtesy of A. Lee)
[East Russell, near Cairns, QLD, November 2020]

Eggs

"boyanga", "booyanga", "derinya", "dirandil", "koomura", "mirk", "ngampu", "nooluk", "pateena", "pum-pum" = Egg; "dirundirri" = eggs [Aboriginal]; "gawu" = eggs [gamilaraay]

Size:17 x 12 mm

Colour: Greyish, with copious mid-brown specks

Shape: Tapered oval

Behaviour

Female Olive-backed Sunbird harvesting material from a spider's web (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Cape York, Cape York peninsula, QLD, August 2019]

Male Olive-backed Sunbird hanging off a plant in a stance typical of sunbirds (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Town of 1770, QLD, September 2017]

Male Olive-backed Sunbird (photo courtesy of L. Tonnochy)
[Near Townsville, QLD, May 2012]

Food, Diet

To the best of our knowledge Olive-backed Sunbirds feed exclusively on nectar. They profit from the creation of urban gardens and parks with flowering plants.

Frontal view of a male Olive-backed Sunbird feeding on nectar from mistletoe in a grevillea
[Byfield NP, QLD, July 2009]

Lateral view of a female Olive-backed Sunbird feeding on nectar (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Rocky Creek, Cairns, QLD, June 2013]

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

yelbsun_al_20201208.m4a	frenatus (N QLD)	Contact calls (female)	© AL
yelbsun_al_20201128.m4a	frenatus (N QLD)	Contact calls (female)	© AL
yelbsun_al_20201128_2.m4a	frenatus (N QLD)	Annoyed call (female)	© AL
yelbsun_al_20201208_2.m4a	frenatus (N QLD)	Begging calls? (fledgling)	© AL

More Olive-backed Sunbird sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

Would you like to contribute photos or sound recordings to this site? If interested, please CLICK HERE. Credits to contributors are given HERE.

Disclaimer: Comments are always welcome. We give no guarantee that the information presented on these pages is always correct or up-to-date. External links are marked as such and we take no responsibility for the contents of external pages. All images on this site are protected by copyright & used by permission of the respective owners. If you wish to reproduce them or any of the material presented on this web site, please contact us: We hereby acknowledge the original custodians of the land which is described on these pages, including the Gomeroi/Gamilaraay people of the North-west Slopes and Plains of NSW, and the traditional owners of other lands and nations within this country. We acknowledge elders past, present and emerging. Sovereignty was never ceded.          Last updated: Fri, 11 November 2022, 4:31 +00:00