Palestine Sunbird

The Palestine sunbird is 8 to 12 cm long with a wingspan of 14 to 16 cm. Males have an average weight of 7.6 g and females weigh around 6.8 g. The bill is fairly long, black and curves downwards. The plumage of breeding males is mostly dark but appears glossy blue or green in the light. There are orange tufts at the sides of the breast which are hard to see except at close range. Females and juveniles are grey-brown above with pale underparts. Non-breeding males are similar but may retain some dark feathers. It has a high, fast, jingling song and various calls including a harsh alarm call.

It occurs in areas with high temperatures and dry climate from sea level up to an altitude of 3200 m. It inhabits dry woodland, scrub, wadis, savannas, orchards and gardens. It is common in towns in some areas. The Middle Eastern subspecies C. o. osea breeds from Israel, Palestine and Jordan in the north, down through western Saudi Arabia to Yemen and Oman in the south. The expansion of Israeli cities, towns and villages over the last century played a significant role in the spread of the Palestine sunbird throughout the region, with cultivated tropical plants becoming more common in urban gardening. In recent decades it has colonized the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt. It has been observed breeding in Lebanon and regularly winters in both Lebanon and Syria. The African subspecies C. o. decorsei is found very locally in parts of Sudan, north-west Uganda, the Central African Republic, north-east Democratic Republic of Congo and northern Cameroon.

The diet consists mainly of insects and nectar. The tongue is long and brush-tipped to extract nectar from flowers.