Cob Webs, Cow Hair, and Cotton Fibre

Purple Sunbird Update

A few post back I told you about the amazing transformation of the male purple sunbird as he dons his breeding plumage. If you missed the post and all the images go to .http://skydanceblog.weebly.com/blog/male-purple-sunbirds-dressed-for-spring

​I wanted to update you on the success of the his courtship endeavors. This morning I found female purple sunbird building a nest in a native Khejari tree (Prosopis cineraria, a tree that is in the same genus as our native mesquite trees of the arid southwest.)

The female sunbird was carefully constructing a 8 cm long pendulous, pouch-like nest suspended from thin twigs of the tree. I have included an image from the web to show the skillfully designed pouched lateral entrance near the top which was not visible in my images.

With OCD industriousness the female sunbird was collecting a myriad of suitable building materials - cob webs, cow hair, bits of cotton fiber, dry grass, tiny twigs and leaves, bits of tissue paper, and thin bits of wire. After about 8 days of hard almost, constant work, she will have a completed nest in which she will lay 2-3 milky grayish eggs. The eggs are incubated by female and hatch after 14 to 18 days.

​Though the female took on the task of building the nest as well as incubating the eggs, both parents will raise and care for the young. After a few short weeks in a safe secure nest, with meals delivered by Mom and Dad, the these young sunbirds will have to venture out into the big wide world of India and learn the skills they need to survive.

Learn more at http://natureconservation.in/purple-sunbird-cinnyris-asiaticus-complete-detail/

Female Purple Sunbird Building her Nest