His long tail of fiery red renders this stunning little bird practically unmistakable.

Meet the Fire-tailed Sunbird

The fire-tailed sunbird (Aethopyga ignicauda) is a small bird measuring around 16 cm long with a flame red nap, mantle, and long fiery tail with red uppertail coverts giving this bird its name. His breast and belly are streaked with a combination of yellow and red.

Photo Courtesy of Charles J. Sharp/CC BY-SA 4.0

His crown and throat are an iridescent combination of blue and black.

The female has an orange-yellow wash on her belly and brownish-orange tail sides.

These birds are found in, and endemic to Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Thailand.

“File:Fire Tailed Sunbird at Singalila.jpg” by Ajit Hota is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

The Fire-tailed sunbird prefers to live in temperate forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.

Nectar feeders these birds will supplement their diet with insects when given the opportunity.

The breeding patterns of this species in the Himalayan and the Hengduan Mountains remain poorly known, although it is known the nestling period lasts around 19.5 days. Both males and females participated in feeding nestlings, but females had significantly higher feeding frequencies than males. Compared to its low-altitude birds, the Fire-tailed Sunbird exhibits elevated parental investments in its offspring by producing fewer eggs and providing more parental care to nestlings.

The Fire-tailed Sunbird is classified as classed as of Least Concern on the IUCN Red List and thankfully does not qualify for a more at-risk category.