Amethyst sunbird

Chalcomitra amethystina

The Amethyst sunbird (Chalcomitra amethystina) is a bird found in South Africa, Kenya and Zimbabwe. Woods and gardens in southern and eastern Africa. It eats insects and other small invertebrates and nectar. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.

See the Amethyst sunbird on the 3D globe →

Scientific name	Chalcomitra amethystina
Region	Africa
Found in	South Africa, Kenya and Zimbabwe

🏡 Where the Amethyst sunbird lives

Woods and gardens in southern and eastern Africa.

🍽️ What it eats

🐛 Insects & bugs50%
🌸 Nectar50%

A rough guide to its diet over a year. Source: EltonTraits (Wilman et al. 2014).

Conservation status

LCNTVUENCREWEX

Least ConcernThere are plenty of these birds.

💡 Males look black until the sun makes their throat sparkle purple.

Hear the Amethyst sunbird

Recorded by Dries Van de Loock (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), xeno-canto XC660737. Trimmed to a few seconds.

Questions about the Amethyst sunbird

Where does the Amethyst sunbird live?

The Amethyst sunbird lives in South Africa, Kenya and Zimbabwe. Woods and gardens in southern and eastern Africa.

What does the Amethyst sunbird eat?

insects and other small invertebrates (about 50%), nectar (about 50%). These are rough shares of its diet over a year, from the EltonTraits database.

Is the Amethyst sunbird endangered?

There are plenty of these birds. Its IUCN Red List category is Least Concern.

More birds from Africa

Sources: IUCN Red List (via Wikidata), EltonTraits 1.0 (Wilman et al. 2014), GBIF sightings for countries, Wikipedia. Last updated 2026-10-19.