I have a bird nesting under my verandah- for the last few years. I have always known it as a Sun bird but I can';t find it in your bird lists. Is there another name?
The nest hangs from electrical wires, is bulbous and hangs down like a drop of water, made of soft paperbark pieces and soft fibers.
The bird is samll, yellow with a long curved thin beak.
I'm sure you know it- I'm in Gladstone Qld.
Yellow-bellied sunbird?
Just to add to the confusion, aka. Yellow-breasted Sunbird but has had its name changed to Olive-backed Sunbird, in my opinion a silly change given its predominant colour.
Ed Townsville NQ
OK- so it is just not in the BIBY bird list.
Are there other kinds of sunbirds?
I'm pretty sure it's the only sunbird in Australia. I've not looked at the BIBY list very much, but I don't think it's inteneded to be an all-inclusive list.
Perhaps you could look elsewhere on the net if you were interested in finding out more about the yellow-bellied / yellow-breasted / olive-backed sunbird. Alternatively, other members might have more info about the bird.
Living in Brisbane, I've never seen it. Would love to see it and its nest! It must be nice to see the bird nesting at your place over consecutive years.
Yes, I think that nest has been there for maybe 10 years. Each year the nest is renovated. We have never had the heart to fix the wiring up to the ceiling for fear of disrupting the nest, but we have spilled the eggs out accidently, trying to see inside.
My parents also had them under a verandah in Mackay.
The BIBY list doesn't cover every single bird yet - but we are getting there and that is definitely our aim!
Holly