Purple honeycreeper

Cyanerpes caeruleus

Photo by Fayard Mohammed (Internet Bird Collection)

Common name:
purple honeycreeper (en); saí-de-perna-amarela (pt); guit-guit céruléen (fr); copeicillo violáceo (es); purpurnaschvogel (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Thraupidae

Range:
These birds are found in northern South America, from northern Colombia and Venezuela, south to southern Ecuador west of the Andes and south to central Bolivia and central Brazil east of the Andes. In Brazil they are found as far south as Mato Grosso, Pará and Maranhão.

Size:
The purple honeycreeper is 10,5-12 cm long and weighs 12 g.

Habitat:
These birds are mostly found in the canopy of rainforests, swamp forests and elfin forests, but also in cocoa and citrus plantations, from sea level up to an altitude of 800 m.

Diet:
They have a varied diet, including various insects as well as the nectar and fruits of various plants. Their billed is particularly well adapted to feed on the nectar of bromeliad and other similar flowers.

Breeding:
The nest of the purple honeycreeper is built by the female, consisting of a small cup made of plant fibres, suspended from a tall scrub or tree. There she lays 2-3 white eggs with brown blotches, which are incubated for 12-13 days. There is no information regarding the fledging period.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is described as common. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.