The Rwenzori double-collared sunbird (''Cinnyris stuhlmanni''), also called Stuhlmann's sunbird or the Rwanda double-collared sunbird, is a species of

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...

in the family

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 the Ruwenzori range of mountains in south central Africa. Its natural

habitat In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...

is subtropical or tropical dry

forest A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...

s. It is threatened by

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss or habitat reduction) occurs when a natural habitat is no longer able to support its native species. The organisms once living there have either moved elsewhere, or are dead, leading to a decrease ...

. It is sometimes considered to be a

subspecies In Taxonomy (biology), biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (Morphology (biology), morpholog ...

of the greater double-collared sunbird (''Cinnyris afer''). Some authors consider this bird to be part of a species complex with ''Cinnyris afer'', where it joins Ludwig's double-collared sunbird (''Cinnyris ludovicensis'') and Prigogine's double-collared sunbird (''Cinnyris prigoginei''). As with other closely related species, each inhabiting different locations, there are subtle similarities and differences between the local populations, and their

taxonomic 280px, Generalized scheme of taxonomy Taxonomy is a practice and science concerned with classification or categorization. Typically, there are two parts to it: the development of an underlying scheme of classes (a taxonomy) and the allocation ...

treatment depends on the views of the taxonomist.

Description

The sunbird is a large-sized species. The adult male has a glossy, metallic green head, throat upper breast and back with no bronzy tinge. The upper-tail coverts are metallic blue and the tail black glossed with blue. The throat and upper breast are metallic green, the lower breast scarlet and the rest of the underparts are dark olive. When displaying, yellow feather tufts are visible on the shoulders. As with other sunbirds the bill is long and decurved. The eye is dark brown while the beak, legs and feet are black. The adult female has dark greyish-brown upper parts and a blackish-brown tail. The chin and supercilium are greyish-buff and the underparts brownish-grey, with the central part of the lower breast and belly being yellowish.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q7383597 Rwenzori double-collared sunbird Endemic birds of the Albertine Rift montane forests Rwenzori double-collared sunbird