Cyanomitra is a genus of African sunbirds. Its members are sometimes included in Nectarinia.

Quick Facts Scientific classification, Type species ...
Cyanomitra
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Eastern olive sunbird (Cyanomitra olivacea)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Nectariniidae
Genus: Cyanomitra
Reichenbach, 1853
Type species
Certhia cyanocephala[1]
Shaw, 1812
Species

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The sunbirds are a group of very small Old World passerine birds which feed largely on nectar, although they will also take insects, especially when feeding young. Flight is fast and direct on their short wings. Most species can take nectar by hovering like a hummingbird, but usually perch to feed most of the time.

Taxonomy

The genus Cyanomitra was introduced in 1853 by the German naturalist Ludwig Reichenbach.[2] The name combines the Ancient Greek kuanos meaning "dark-blue" with mitra meaning "head-band".[3] The type species was designated by George Robert Gray in 1855 as Certhia cyanocephala Shaw.[4][5] This taxon is now considered to be a subspecies of the green-headed sunbird (Cyanomitra verticalis cyanocephala'').[6]

Species

The genus contains 7 species:[6]

More information Image, Common name ...
ImageCommon nameScientific NameDistribution
Green-headed sunbirdCyanomitra verticalisAngola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, and Zambia.
Bannerman's sunbirdCyanomitra bannermaniAngola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Zambia.
Blue-throated brown sunbirdCyanomitra cyanolaemaAfrican tropical rainforest
Cameroon sunbirdCyanomitra oritisWestern High Plateau & Bioko
Blue-headed sunbirdCyanomitra alinaeAlbertine Rift montane forests
Olive sunbirdCyanomitra olivaceaAfrica south of the Sahel.
Grey sunbirdCyanomitra veroxiiKenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Somalia, South Africa, Swaziland, and Tanzania.
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References

Further reading

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