Green-tailed Sunbird (Aethopyga nipalensis)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

Green-tailed Sunbird

Aethopyga nipalensis (Hodgson, 1836)

≈12 cmLength6.9 gWeight

This sunbird inhabits broadleaf forest and bamboo in the mountains.

Busiest months: February and April · Most records: Thailand, Bhutan, India

Least Concern

How to identify

Where and when it's recorded

Green-tailed Sunbird has been recorded at 131 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 8 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Doi Inthanon NP – summitThailand2,055 records
  2. Doi Inthanon NPThailand880 records
  3. Mt. PhulchowkiNepal418 records
More places
  1. Munsyari – Bheema WodeyarIndia314 records
  2. SattalIndia296 records
  3. PelelaBhutan240 records
  4. Dochula – Royal Botanical ParkBhutan208 records
  5. PangotIndia169 records
  6. Ngoc Linh NRVietnam153 records
  7. Yongkhola campBhutan149 records

Countries and regions with the most records

ThailandBhutanIndiaNepalChinaVietnamMyanmar (Burma)Laos

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 green-tailed sunbird (Aethopyga nipalensis) or Nepal yellow-backed sunbird is a species of bird in the family Nectariniidae.

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

Questions

How big is the Green-tailed Sunbird?

The Green-tailed Sunbird is about ≈12 cm long and weighs around 6.9 g.

Where does the Green-tailed Sunbird live?

Its breeding range: Oriental: Himalayas to southern Vietnam. It is most often recorded in Thailand, Bhutan and India.

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

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

Is the Green-tailed Sunbird endangered?

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

What does the Green-tailed Sunbird eat?

Main food: Nectar.

What family is the Green-tailed Sunbird in?

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

At a glance

Length
≈12 cm
Weight
6.9 g
Habitat
Forest
Diet
Nectar
Lifestyle
Perches in trees
Migration
Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation
Least Concern
More measurements
Wing
50 mm
Tail
54 mm
Bill
22 mm
Tarsus
13 mm

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

Range

Oriental: Himalayas to southern Vietnam

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Subspecies · 1
  • Aethopyga nipalensis koelzi se Tibet, Bhutan and e Bangladesh to sc China and n Vietnam

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 gouldiaeWhite-flanked SunbirdWhite-flanked SunbirdAethopyga eximia
Green-tailed Sunbird

Download illustration

Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Wich’yanan (Jay) Limparungpatthanakij. ↗

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