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The grey sunbird or mouse-coloured sunbird (''Cyanomitra veroxii'') is a species of bird in the family
Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds
grey sunbird Birds of East Africa Birds of Southern Africa grey sunbird Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Nectariniidae-stub
Nectariniidae
Sunbirds and spiderhunters make up the family Nectariniidae of passerine birds. They are small, slender passerines from the Old World, usually with downward-curved bills. Many are brightly coloured, often with iridescent feathers, particularly i ...
.
It is found in Eswatini
Eswatini, formally the Kingdom of Eswatini, also known by its former official names Swaziland and the Kingdom of Swaziland, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by South Africa on all sides except the northeast, where i ...
, Kenya
Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...
, Malawi
Malawi, officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast, and Mozambique to the east, south, and southwest. Malawi spans over and ...
, Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique, is a country located in Southeast Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west, and Eswatini and South Afr ...
, Somalia
Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is the easternmost country in continental Africa. The country is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya to the southwest, th ...
, South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
, and Tanzania
Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...
.
Diet
This species feeds on nectar. It has been recorded to feed on the nectar ofSchotia brachypetala
''Schotia brachypetala'', the weeping boer-bean, is a leguminous flowering tree in the family Fabaceae (bean family/pod-bearing family/legumes) and the subfamily Detarioideae. The woodland tree is native to Africa south of the Zambezi River, ...
and Kigelia africana
''Kigelia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the trumpet vine family Bignoniaceae. The genus consists of only one species, ''Kigelia africana'', syn. ''Kigelia pinnata'', which occurs throughout tropical Africa and is cultivated elsewhere i ...
. It even engages in nectar robbing
Nectar robbing is a foraging behavior used by some organisms that feed on floral nectar, carried out by feeding from holes bitten in flowers, rather than by entering through the flowers' natural openings. Nectar robbers usually feed in this way, ...
by piercing a hole in the side of the corolla. It is also a pollinator of 10 genera of plants with uses that are medicinal, edible or may be used as a building material.
References
External links
Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds
grey sunbird Birds of East Africa Birds of Southern Africa grey sunbird Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Nectariniidae-stub