The cherry blossoms are in bloom. I wonder if there are any birds coming to eat the nectar?

The temperature has risen recently, and many areas have entered spring early. In addition to cherry blossoms, plum blossoms, peach blossoms, orchids, tulips, pansies and other flowers have also bloomed one after another.

Blooming flowers naturally attract many insects. However, it is not only insects that are attracted to flowers. Many birds also salivate over the sweet and fragrant nectar.

Fork-tailed sunbirds, for example, have visited Wuhan Botanical Garden and the nearby plum garden to enjoy a feast of nectar.

Fork-tailed sunbird (female) photographed in Wuhan Botanical Garden, photo courtesy of Wuhan Evening News, photo by Zhong Yongle

Fork-tailed sunbird in tuxedo

There are more than 100 species of sunbirds in tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, Asia and Oceania. Most of these small, pretty sunbirds are staunch nectar lovers , as is the case with the fork-tailed sunbird of southern China and Indochina.

Fork-tailed Sunbird

The female fork-tailed sunbird has a low-key olive-colored feather coat, but the handsome guys in their family have gorgeous colorful costumes.

The male fork-tailed sunbird has a dark face, and the top of the head and the back of the neck covered with scaly feathers change into a dazzling blue or green metallic luster. Their throat and chest are as red as blood, forming a sharp contrast with the yellow-green back and cream-yellow abdomen.

The tail feathers of the male fork-tailed sunbird flash bright blue light , and the shape is very similar to the pointed tail of a swallow. When these little cuties, only 9 cm long, stand on the branches, they look like a group of proud little gentlemen in formal attire.

Fork-tailed sunbirds love large trees such as Erythrina and Kapok that are in full bloom, and they never ignore shrubs that are in full bloom. They have a slender, down-curved beak and a long, tubular tongue that can easily suck the sweet nectar from the deepest part of the flowers.

If they can catch some tasty little insects or spiders, the Fork-tailed Sunbird will never miss the chance to eat meat .

The lively and active Fork-tailed Sunbird makes its home in the jungles of mountains and hills. It is not difficult to see these noisy little guys in the urban green spaces in southern my country.

The golden-winged sunbird that can do arithmetic

As a representative of the sunbird family from East Africa, the male golden-winged sunbird's cool style is completely different from that of the fork-tailed sunbird.

Golden-winged sunbird and lion-ear flower

The male golden-winged sunbird is more than 20 centimeters long and has a long, handsome golden tail. Their head, chest and back are usually dark black, but when they are looking for a mate, they magically shine a metallic deep purple.

Under the sunlight, the feathers on the upper wings of the golden-winged sunbird shine like pure gold, and its noble and luxurious temperament is so stunning that it is hard to look at it directly.

The golden-winged sunbird, with its rich gold, is quite hermit-like and usually lives only in the East African plateau mountains above 1,500 meters above sea level. In addition to catching various small insects in the mountains, their most important source of food is the lion's ear flowers that bloom all over the mountains. The sturdy lion's ear flowers can grow up to 3 meters high, and their layers of orange flowers are full of nectar that the golden-winged sunbird loves most.

In order to protect himself and his family from hunger, each golden-winged sunbird will bravely guard a small territory full of lion's ear flowers. This little miser is not greedy, he always decides the size of the territory according to the needs of his family.

If the plant is particularly dense and lush, it may occupy only a few square meters, but if it is unlucky enough to be in a barren area, a male golden-winged sunbird's private estate may cover more than 2,000 square meters.

The golden-winged sunbird's natural talent for arithmetic has always amazed many bird researchers.

Red-headed honeyeater loves the sea breeze

Australia and New Guinea are home to nearly 200 species of honeyeaters that look like long-lost brothers and sisters to sunbirds, but the two bird families are not closely related. Their shared love of sweet nectar has magically created the similar appearance of honeyeaters and sunbirds.

Red-headed honeyeater on a callistemon tree

Most of northern Australia is dry and barren, but the mangroves along the thousands of kilometers of coastline are lush and green. The red-headed honeyeater seems to have a special romantic sentiment. They choose to make their home in the mangroves where they can hear the sound of the waves.

Like most nectar-eating birds, the Red-headed Honeyeater has a small body and a long, curved beak , but with its black wings and fiery red head, it's not lacking in beauty and personality.

As diligent nectar collectors, red-headed honeyeaters linger on the branches of plants such as Melaleuca and Avicennia marina that are full of flowers. They are one of the most important pollinators in mangroves.

The red-headed honeyeater often flies against the sea breeze to catch insects, inadvertently helping the mangroves eliminate many pests.

Although only about 12 centimeters long, the Red-headed Honeyeater has a strong curiosity that borders on recklessness. If you deliberately make a strange noise, these little creatures will most likely scurry out of the mangroves to see what's going on.

For the sake of its beloved home, the Red-headed Honeyeater will fearlessly launch a swooping attack on invaders.

Naughty Rainbow Lorikeet

If you think parrots are just a bunch of noisy, nut-loving birds, you haven't met the dozens of species of lorikeets that live in Australasia and Southeast Asia.

A flock of rainbow lorikeets

The tiny lorikeets lack a powerful pincer-like beak, but have evolved a tongue with many small protrusions, which they can use to collect nectar and pollen from flowers or to scrape the soft flesh of ripe fruit like a brush.

While many of its members are endangered, the rainbow lorikeet is a thriving bird, with its colorful figures found in forests from northeastern Australia to Tasmania.

Bright blue head, bright red throat, golden neck, emerald green wings... The body of the Rainbow Lorikeet has almost all the gorgeous colors in the world, and the Rainbow Lorikeet's reputation is well deserved.

Such gorgeous and colorful costumes are their beautiful camouflage, which can help the rainbow lorikeets hide their bodies in the jungle full of flowers and fruits.

Rainbow Lorikeets live a sweet life in pairs, but also like to gather in groups to have a feast together in the forest.

Rainbow Lorikeets are also a group of energetic little mischievous kids who will occasionally break into ordinary people's gardens and cause trouble. Local farmers are even more angry because they repeatedly raid their orchards.

The Rainbow Lorikeet was once considered a pest and was ruthlessly hunted, but fortunately in recent years they have begun to be carefully protected by people.

Islander Sickle-billed Tuba

The Hawaiian Islands, where flowers bloom all year round, were once a happy paradise for the jays.

The more than 20 species of tube-tongued birds that only live in Hawaii have a common ancestor, but have evolved into a variety of distinct forms over millions of years, making them a living example of Darwin's theory of evolution.

Due to endless hunting by humans and the destruction of virgin forests, most species of tube-tongues have become extinct or are on the verge of extinction. Only the beautiful sickle-billed tube-tongue still holds on to its homeland on the island.

The beaks of sickle-billed tubebirds are adapted to the flowers they visit

The sickle-billed tube-tongue bird is able to stand out from the crowd thanks to its famous red sickle-shaped beak. With this long and curved beak, it can easily visit the lush tubular flowers on the island and use its brush-like tongue to enjoy the delicious nectar.

In order to obtain sufficient nectar, the sickle-billed bird migrates between lowlands and mountains as the seasons change, and even flies across the sea to other islands in search of blooming flowers.

Except for its black wings and tail, the sickle-billed tube-tongue bird is covered with orange-red feathers. In order to obtain its beautiful feathers, people have long captured this poor little bird.

The local Aboriginal people named the sickle-billed pipebird 'i 'iwi after the sound of its call, and even imitated this unique and pleasant sound when singing folk songs.

The sickle-billed tubebird is now a protected species and has become one of the emblematic animals of Hawaii .

Jungle Elf Purple Honey Creeper

Honeycreepers are nectar lovers that live in the rainforest canopy, using their long curved beaks to search for nectar, berries and small insects. Male honeycreepers all have bright and rich body colors, and the purple honeycreeper is a rare purple bird.

A lively male purple honeycreeper

Female purple honeycreepers camouflage themselves with dark green stripes, but their male counterparts love to show off their good looks.

Except for the black wings, tail and abdomen, the male purple honeycreeper's entire body is covered with gorgeous purple feathers , which are particularly eye-catching in the deep and dim rainforest.

The black, slender, curved beak of the Purple Honeycreeper enables it to suck nectar from the curved, tubular flowers of heliconia and bromeliads, making it an important pollination partner for these plants.

The purple honeycreeper, which is only 11 cm long, seems to be well aware of the truth that there is strength in unity, and often forms small groups to jointly defend their territory in the forest.

These daring little guys even dare to fight the ferocious pygmy owls in groups, and will not stop until the powerful enemy is driven out of their homes.

Anna's Hummingbird

There are hundreds of beautiful species of hummingbirds, making up the smallest family in the bird world. The colors and appearances of hummingbirds are extremely rich and varied, but they are all avid nectar lovers without exception.

When hummingbirds, as small as insects, buzz among the flowers, they are as dazzling and charming as flying gems. They are truly the most beautiful and lovely elves among the flowers in the world.

Tiny but strong Anna's hummingbird

Like almost all hummingbirds, Anna's hummingbirds have long, thin beaks that can reach deep into flowers. Their forked, tubular tongues are longer than their beaks, and together with the long beaks they form a "water pump" suitable for sucking nectar. It is with such a powerful beak and tongue that Anna's hummingbirds can use sweet nectar as their staple food.

Anna's hummingbird is only about 10 centimeters long, which is not small in the hummingbird family. The female Anna's hummingbird is covered with copper-green feathers with a metallic luster, while the male Anna's hummingbird is much more conceited, with its entire head covered with shiny purple-red feathers.

Anna's hummingbird is not only very beautiful, but also has a tenacious vitality that most birds cannot match. Almost all hummingbirds only live in tropical areas, but Anna's hummingbird lives in a large area along the west coast of North America, and even appears in Canada and Alaska, which are covered in ice and snow.

Before the cold winter comes, Anna's hummingbirds will eat and drink a lot, grow fat, and then find a hidden place to hibernate. They can even withstand the extreme cold of dozens of degrees below zero , and they are really well-deserved little strong ones in the hummingbird family.

Sword-billed Hummingbird

The sword-billed hummingbird is a member of a family of hummingbirds that are full of wonders. Its body is shining like bronze, and it is not the most beautiful among all the beautiful hummingbirds. Its real outstanding feature is its unique long beak .

The total length of the sword-billed hummingbird from the top of the head to the tip of the tail is only 14 centimeters, and its sword-like straight beak is as long as 10 centimeters. If we look at the ratio of body length to beak length, the sword-billed hummingbird can be called the king of long beaks among all birds in the world.

The sword-billed hummingbird has an incredibly long beak and tongue

The sword-billed hummingbird evolved such an astonishingly long and slender beak in order to gain the upper hand in the battle for nectar.

In their homeland in the mountains of South America, there grows a vine passion fruit called the banana melon. The pink flowers of the banana melon have a nearly 10-centimeter-long flower tube , which allows the sword-billed hummingbird, with its extremely long beak, to enjoy the sweet nectar hidden deep in the heart of the flower alone, and the sword-billed hummingbird is also the only pollinator of the banana melon.

In this way, a plant and a bird became unique partners who depended on each other for life and death, and always lived inseparable in the same forest.

The slender beak is not only a tool for eating, but also a real sharp weapon. In order to defend its territory, the sword-billed hummingbird will use its hard long beak to deal with rivals or bravely fight against intruders that are several times larger than itself.

They will flexibly circle around their enemies, while stabbing with their sharp beaks until the opponents flee. Such a majestic and agile sword-beaked hummingbird is truly a well-deserved little jungle swordsman.

These adorable birds, which feed on nectar, can be found in warm regions of every continent, and as the weather has warmed up recently, their graceful movements among the flowers have become increasingly common.

In the north, as spring flowers bloom, birds such as yellow-bellied tits and white-crowned bulbuls also begin to look for flowers and nectar with great interest. What birds have you seen that love to eat nectar? Leave a message to tell Tadpole Jun.

Yellow-bellied tit (left) and white-crowned bulbul (right), image source: Wikipedia

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