Moreau's sunbird is a species of bird in the family Nectariniidae. It is endemic to Kilolo District of Morogoro Region in Tanzania where its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. It is threatened by habitat loss and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed it as being "near-threatened".
Region
Eastern Arc Mountains
Typical Environment
Occurs in moist montane evergreen forest and forest edges within a very restricted range in the Udzungwa/Uzungwa area of the Eastern Arc. It favors flowering trees and shrubs at forest margins, clearings, and along streams. It can also use secondary growth where suitable nectar sources persist, but relies on intact canopy and midstory for nesting and cover.
Altitude Range
1200–2400 m
Climate Zone
Highland
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Named for the ornithologist Reginald Moreau, this sunbird is confined to a tiny area of Tanzania’s Eastern Arc Mountains. It feeds mainly on nectar but also takes small insects, often hovering briefly at flowers or perching to feed. Habitat loss from forest clearance and degradation is the principal threat to its survival.
Temperament
active and territorial
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats; capable of brief hovering at flowers
Social Behavior
Typically seen singly or in pairs, with males defending rich flowering patches. Nests are purse-shaped structures suspended from vegetation, lined with soft fibers. Breeding timing often tracks peaks in local flowering.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
A high, thin series of rapid twitters and tinkling notes, delivered from exposed perches. Calls include sharp tseep and sip notes exchanged between foraging birds.
Plumage
Male shows glossy, iridescent upperparts with a bright metallic head and throat, a narrow scarlet breast band, and olive-yellow underparts; wings and tail are dark. Female is duller, olive-brown above with greyish to buff underparts and faint streaking, with a less conspicuous throat. Both sexes have a slender, decurved bill adapted for nectar feeding.
Diet
Primarily nectar from a variety of montane flowering trees and shrubs, taken by probing with the long decurved bill. Supplements diet with small insects and spiders, especially when feeding young. Occasionally gleans arthropods from foliage or sallies short distances to catch flying prey.
Preferred Environment
Feeds at flowering edges of montane forest, in clearings, along streamside vegetation, and in patches of secondary growth. Often uses midstory and canopy levels where blossoms are most abundant.
