Johanna's sunbird is a species of bird in the family Nectariniidae. It is widely spread across the African tropical rainforest. It is named after Johanna Verreaux, wife of French naturalist Édouard Verreaux.
Region
West and Central African tropical rainforests
Typical Environment
Occurs widely across the Congo Basin and adjoining lowland rainforest zones from Nigeria and Cameroon through Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Republic of the Congo, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, reaching locally into the Central African Republic and western Uganda. It favors primary and mature secondary evergreen forests, forest edges, and clearings with flowering shrubs and trees. It also visits gardens, cocoa and coffee plantations, and roadside flowering stands near forest. It is typically most common where nectar sources are abundant and continuous through the year.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1500 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Johanna's sunbird is a small nectar-feeding passerine named after Johanna Verreaux. Males show striking iridescence that can look different depending on the light. Like many sunbirds, it is an important pollinator of forest flowers and also takes small insects, especially when feeding chicks. It often moves locally to track blooming trees within the rainforest.
Temperament
active and territorial
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats
Social Behavior
Usually seen singly or in pairs, males defend rich nectar sources from rivals. Nests are small, pendulous, purse-like structures suspended from foliage or vines, often near human trails or forest edges. Both parents participate in feeding the young.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Vocalizations are high-pitched chips and thin, tinkling trills, often given from an exposed perch. Males deliver accelerated sequences during territorial displays around flowering trees.
Plumage
Male is glossy and iridescent with a bright metallic head and throat, a contrasting colored breast band, and darker underparts; female is duller olive-brown above with paler, yellowish to grayish underparts and faint streaking.
Diet
Feeds primarily on nectar from a variety of forest flowers, probing with its decurved bill and brush-tipped tongue. Supplements diet with small insects and spiders, especially during breeding to meet protein needs of chicks. Also takes occasional small fruits and sap from damaged flowers.
Preferred Environment
Forages at all levels from understory shrubs to canopy bloom, frequently visiting flowering trees like Albizia, Erythrina, and other nectar-rich species. Often uses forest edges, clearings, and plantations where flowers are concentrated.
