Small Sunbird

Small Sunbird on a leaf

Small Sunbird, also known as Crimson-backed sunbird, looks a lot like purple-rumped sunbird for the first sight, but a quick second look shows this as a much more colourful bird. The male bird has a bright crimson-red collar that extends to its chest. This is, as far as I know, the smallest sunbird in Karnataka. I literally photographed this sitting right inside a leaf!

Small sunbird is less common than the purple-rumped sunbird, because this chiefly lives on the western ghats and neighboring regions. Not exactly a garden bird, but you can catch sight of this bird along the villages near Tunga, which have similar vegetation as that of western ghats. If you travel about 10-12 kms along the Tunga river channels from Shimoga, you should be able to see this along the channels. This being an extremely active bird, be quick while you photograph!!

Scientific name for this bird is Leptocoma minima.