25 June 2019

Male Brown-throated Sunbird “robbing nectar” – “merompak madu”

From my observation in my backyard, and browsing the internet, the one that probes at the receptacle /calyx of the flowers is always a MALE.
(If anybody found the female species doing this, please show me the link)

Male Brown-throated Sunbird forages at Bunga Raya – Hibiscus flower.    (above)
Probing and punctuating the base of the hibiscus flower   “robbing nectar” – “merompak madu”
["Nectar robbers" usually feed from holes bitten in flowers, rather than by entering through the flowers' natural openings." -from Wikipedia]
The female sucks nectar at the center, inside the petals /base of the staminal tube.

---