CreatureData

Malachite sunbird

Nectarinia famosa (Linnaeus, 1766)

LCLeast Concernsongbirds

The malachite sunbird (Nectarinia famosa) is a species in the family Nectariniidae, order Passeriformes. Recorded adults weigh 13.4 g to 15.5 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Malachite sunbird (Nectarinia famosa)
Photo: Steve Garvie from Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the malachite sunbird

Weight
13.4 g – 15.5 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
Not recorded
Diet
Omnivoresrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
shrublandsrc for Habitat
Egg incubation
13 dayssrc for Egg incubation
Young per litter or clutch
2src for Young per litter or clutch
Litters or clutches a year
2.5src for Litters or clutches a year
Lifestyle
Perchingsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Sedentarysrc for Migration
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the malachite sunbird live?

Not recorded

What is the malachite sunbird?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The malachite sunbird (Nectarinia famosa) is a small nectarivorous bird found from the highlands of Ethiopia southwards to South Africa. They pollinate many flowering plants, particularly those with long corolla tubes, in the Fynbos.

From the Wikipedia article “Malachite sunbird” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Malachite_sunbird&oldid=1379211720), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the malachite sunbird endangered?

The malachite sunbird is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.

How is the malachite sunbird classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderPasseriformes
  5. familyNectariniidae
  6. genusNectarinia
  7. SpeciesNectarinia famosa (Linnaeus, 1766)

Synonyms Certhia famosa, Certhia formosa, Cinnyris famosa

Other names and names in other languages (36)
  • Yellow-tufted malachite sunbirdEnglish
  • Yellow-tufted malachite sunbirdEnglish
  • JangroentjieAfrikaans
  • Jannie PietergroentjieAfrikaans
  • strdimil malachitovýCzech
  • Aderyn haul malachitWelsh
  • MalakitsolfuglDanish
  • MalachitnektarvogelGerman
  • Malachit-NektarvogelGerman
  • malakita nektarinioEsperanto
  • Suimanga malaquitaSpanish
  • Pájaro sol malaquitaSpanish
  • شهدخوار مالاکیتPersian
  • malakiittimedestäjäFinnish
  • Nectarin malachiteFrench
  • Souimanga malachiteFrench
  • malahitni medosasCroatian
  • malahitnektármadárHungarian
  • Nettarinia malachiteItalian
  • ミドリオナガタイヨウチョウJapanese
  • žalioji nektarinaLithuanian
  • EmeraldhoningzuigerDutch
  • malakittsolfuglNorwegian
  • nektarnik malachitowyPolish
  • nektarnik żółtobocznyPolish
  • مالاچائیٹ رس پنچھیWestern Panjabi
  • beija-flor-verdePortuguese
  • beija-flor-de-malaquitePortuguese
  • nectarínia-malaquitePortuguese
  • Малахитовая нектарницаRussian
  • nektárovka malachitováSlovak
  • malakitsolfågelSwedish
  • Malahit NektarkuşuTurkish
  • нектарка малахітоваUkrainian
  • 辉绿花蜜鸟Chinese
  • 孔雀石色花蜜鳥Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the malachite sunbird

Other species in the same genus Nectarinia.

LC, Least Concern

Bocage's sunbird

Nectarinia bocagii

NectariniidaeNo free photo yet

CompareMalachite sunbird vs Bronze sunbirdMalachite sunbird vs Scarlet-tufted sunbirdMalachite sunbird vs Tacazze sunbirdMalachite sunbird vs Purple-breasted sunbird

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the malachite sunbird?

An adult malachite sunbird weighs 13.4 g – 15.5 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the malachite sunbird endangered?

The malachite sunbird is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

What kind of animal is the malachite sunbird?

The malachite sunbird (Nectarinia famosa) belongs to the family Nectariniidae in the order Passeriformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Malachite sunbird (Nectarinia famosa). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/malachite-sunbird

MLA

“Malachite sunbird (Nectarinia famosa).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/malachite-sunbird.

BibTeX
@misc{malachite_sunbird_2026,
  title = {Malachite sunbird (Nectarinia famosa)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/malachite-sunbird},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}