Abstract
Sunbirds, I feel, are certainly the jewels of the bird world. Not many birds can match the curious and friendly personality, iridescent colors, intriguing behavior, incredible courtship displays and beautiful songs that many sunbirds possess. I have kept birds for more than 29 years. During the past three years I have experienced keeping sunbirds and only wish I would have worked with them much earlier. They are indeed a challenge to breed, however, I feel they are certainly a very worthwhile venture. Unfortunately not a lot of information is readily available on this fascinating family Nectariniidae. I have been successful in keeping these birds in what appears to be very good health and have even had nest building activity by several species. Hopefully the information in this article will add to information already available and/ or spark an interest in the large family of sunbirds.
All sunbirds are native to the Old World. They range from Africa (where most species are found) to Australia (where only one species is found). When people see my sunbirds and ask what they are, I tell them they are the Old World version of hummingbirds, even though no formal relationship exists between them. All sunbirds are dimorphic, with most females being rather somber and cryptic in coloration. Males of some species go into an eclipse plumage during the spring and summer months. I have had experience with ten different species, eight from Africa and two from southeast Asia. I have truly found these birds extremely delightful and perhaps my favorite of not only softbills I have worked with but all birds I have worked with throughout the years.
Housing
My preference for housing all birds is in large, outside aviaries. However, many of us, including myself, do not have either the luxury of the space and/ or the climatic conditions to house birds outside. I keep my birds in a modified green house in cages measuring 48 inches x 18 inches x 18 inches. Each of the cages contains natural perches and various types of live plants. The upper cages, which receive most of the light and heat, are planted with tillandsias and bromeliads mounted on various types of wood or in pots. Small ficus plants and Spanish Moss poke through the top wire in various places. In the lower cages I use various types of fems, philodendrons, bromeliads and a few orchids. I use Spanish Moss in these lower cages as well. It is my opinion the live plants give the birds a feeling of security instead of living in stark, empty cages. The plants also provide potential nesting sites other than boxes, baskets, etc., as well as provide a place to escape if males tend to be overly aggressive. The plants are placed away from the perches to avoid being soiled. They are misted periodically and I find the sunbirds thoroughly enjoy this time since sunbirds prefer to leaf bathe instead of bathing in a pool of water on the floor or ground.
Diet
The basic diet I give to all of my sunbirds is soaked Zu-preem monkey biscuits, Avico Sunbird Nectar, various diced soft fruits, kernels of com, green peas, shredded spinach or lettuce, mealworms, waxworms and small fly larvae (Musca domestica larvae). As far as fruits, I offer pears, bananas, kiwi, oranges, etc., to the sunbirds since their bills are not strong enough to soften apples and other harder fruits. I sprinkle vitamins and minerals over the biscuits, fruit and vegetables. Also, I disinfect the feeding tubes and dishes every day. There are several good products on the market, including good old bleach and water. I happen to use Nolvasan and am very happy with it.
It is not my intent to recommend one commercial product over the other, however I prefer Avico Sunbird Nectar for the sunbirds. Any sunbird which has yellow and/ or red feathering will quickly fade in captivity (like many other birds) unless the proper diet is provided. I found using Avico both restores and maintains the yellows and reds in the plumage. It is essential that a constant supply of nectar be provided, similar to hummingbirds, otherwise their health will quickly deteriorate and the birds will die. As far as the soaked Zu-preem, I prefer to soak it in water instead of nectar. I have found the birds tend to eat more of it soaked in water rather than nectar. Also, I believe that during warm weather bacteria tends to form more quickly in a nectar solution than it would in water. Mealworms and waxworms are offered only to the Anthreptes genus sunbirds (in my case, Collared Sunbirds). The bills oftheAnthreptes sunbirds are much shorter and stronger than those of the Nectarinia sunbirds. The fly larvae, sometimes referred to as '' tiny wigglers;' are offered to all the birds, including
the Nectarinia sunbirds. However, I feel it only fair to warn anyone planning on using these fly larvae! If your birds are housed inside and they do not eat all the larvae due to dropping a few, you will have flies everywhere before too long! I have found sun-birds to be somewhat sloppy eaters and very often drop whatever they have been trying to soften. I am always amazed, though, how quickly they can fly down and usually catch whatever it is they have accidentally dropped. To help avoid the potential fly problem, I periodically vacuum the quickly formed pupae to help keep the pests to a minimum. In addition, the sunbirds particularly relish occasional spiders, Drosophila flies, or other small flying insects such as the ever present seed-moths - if you have seed eating birds.
Disease
Fortunately I have had no experience with any disease problems with my sunbirds. I have been keeping sunbirds for over three years and have found them to be very hardy. Perhaps the most common problems all nectivores (nectar feeding birds) face are yeast infections known as candida. Fortunately, if caught early, candida can easily be treated with nystatin. The most common cause of yeast infections are poor hygiene practices. Since nectar contains so much sugar, fungus forms very quickly in poorly maintained feeding utensils. It is imperative to disinfect all feeding tubes and dishes daily. As I mentioned earlier, I use Nolvasan or Wavicide and am happy with the results. Also, when I get any new sunbirds, I place a drop of nystatin in the bird's beak for three days, purely as a preventative measure. I then keep a close watch on the bird for the obvious signs of candida of constant swallowing and what appears to be yawning. Once acclimated, given a good diet and kept in a clean environment, sunbirds should prove to be very hardy birds indeed.