Fork-tailed Sunbird (Aethopyga christinae)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

Fork-tailed Sunbird

Aethopyga christinae Swinhoe, 1869

≈10 cmLength5.2 gWeight

This small bird has a decurved bill and soft, frequent calls.

Busiest months: December–January · Most records: China, Vietnam

Least Concern

How to identify

Field marks

  1. Bill decurved

Voice

Soft, frequent “zwink-zwink” calls, as well as metallic trills.

Where and when it's recorded

Fork-tailed Sunbird has been recorded at 295 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 2 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Tai Po Kau Nature ReserveHong Kong (China)2,015 records
  2. Kinmen – Botanical GardenChina1,201 records
  3. Pak Sha OHong Kong (China)747 records
More places
  1. Tai Lam Country ParkHong Kong (China)702 records
  2. Lam Tsuen ValleyHong Kong (China)656 records
  3. Pat Heung Catchwater, Tai LamHong Kong (China)623 records
  4. Jianfengling NNRChina407 records
  5. Po ToiHong Kong (China)381 records
  6. Fuzhou National Forest ParkChina373 records
  7. Kinmen – Lieyu Mountain QilinChina362 records

Countries and regions with the most records

ChinaVietnam

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The fork-tailed sunbird (Aethopyga christinae) is a bird in the family Nectariniidae. The species was first described by Robert Swinhoe in 1869.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Fork-tailed Sunbird?

The Fork-tailed Sunbird is about ≈10 cm long and weighs around 5.2 g.

Where does the Fork-tailed Sunbird live?

Its breeding range: Oriental: central China to southern Vietnam. It is most often recorded in China and Vietnam.

When is the best time to see the Fork-tailed Sunbird?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in January and December (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the Fork-tailed Sunbird endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Fork-tailed Sunbird as Least Concern.

What does the Fork-tailed Sunbird eat?

Main food: Omnivore.

What family is the Fork-tailed Sunbird in?

It belongs to the family Sunbirds (Nectariniidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).

At a glance

Length
≈10 cm
Weight
5.2 g
Habitat
Forest
Diet
Omnivore
Lifestyle
Perches in trees
Migration
Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation
Least Concern
More measurements
Wing
48 mm
Tail
40 mm
Bill
18 mm
Tarsus
14 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Oriental: central China to southern Vietnam

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Subspecies · 2
  • Aethopyga christinae latouchii c China to c Indochina
  • Aethopyga christinae christinae Hainan I. (off se China)

Classification

Order
Passerines Passeriformes
Family
Sunbirds Nectariniidae
Genus
Aethopyga

Other birds in the genus Aethopyga

Grey-hooded SunbirdGrey-hooded SunbirdAethopyga primigeniaApo SunbirdApo SunbirdAethopyga boltoniTboli SunbirdTboli SunbirdAethopyga tiboliiLina's SunbirdLina's SunbirdAethopyga linaraboraeFlaming SunbirdFlaming SunbirdAethopyga flagransMaroon-naped SunbirdMaroon-naped SunbirdAethopyga guimarasensisMetallic-winged SunbirdMetallic-winged SunbirdAethopyga pulcherrimaElegant SunbirdElegant SunbirdAethopyga duyvenbodeiLovely SunbirdLovely SunbirdAethopyga shelleyiHandsome SunbirdHandsome SunbirdAethopyga bellaMrs. Gould's SunbirdMrs. Gould's SunbirdAethopyga gouldiaeGreen-tailed SunbirdGreen-tailed SunbirdAethopyga nipalensis
Fork-tailed Sunbird

Download illustration

Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Charles J. Sharp. ↗

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