God spoke: "Swarm, Ocean, with fish and all sea life! Birds, fly through the sky over Earth!" God created the huge whales, all the swarm of life in the waters, And every kind and species of flying birds. God saw that it was good. - Genesis 1:20-21
A tiny bird of the tree tops, the flowerpecker measures just 9 cm long and may weigh as little as four grams. A twenty-cent coin is heavier than this little wonder.
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It is constantly on the move feeding on flower nectar, buds and small insects and is fairly common where these occur. However, due to its very small size, it may be easily missed. It presence may be discerned by the repetitive ticking call "tut tut tut" issued in flight as it moves from tree to tree.
this tiny flowerpecker visited the bamboo plant in our planter box (Hillview, S'pore)
The male is black with a wide red band running from the crown to the rump giving the appearance of a painted stripe. The bill and feet are black while the eyes are dark brown. Its underparts are whitish with grey to the sides of the breast and flanks.
Separated from the sunbirds by their rather squat appearance due to their very short tail and their short bills.
Sources:
A Guide to Common Birds of Singapore (2002)
BIRDS seen at the ISTANA (2005)
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