CreatureData

Purple sunbird

Cinnyris asiaticus (Latham, 1790)

LCLeast Concernsongbirds

The purple sunbird (Cinnyris asiaticus) is a species in the family Nectariniidae, order Passeriformes. Recorded adults weigh 8 g to 8.2 g and live up to 22 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Purple sunbird (Cinnyris asiaticus)
Photo: Nicholas Iyadurai · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the purple sunbird

Weight
8 g – 8.2 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
22 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Omnivoresrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
shrublandsrc for Habitat
Egg incubation
14.5 dayssrc for Egg incubation
Young per litter or clutch
1.7 – 2src for Young per litter or clutch
Litters or clutches a year
2src 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 purple sunbird live?

Not recorded

What is the purple sunbird?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The purple sunbird (Cinnyris asiaticus) is a small bird in the sunbird family. It occurs in parts of the Arabian peninsula and South and Southeast Asia. It has a fast and direct flight and can take nectar by hovering like a hummingbird but often perches at the base of flowers. It feeds mainly on nectar and insects, especially when feeding young. The males can appear all black in harsh sunlight but the purple iridescence is visible on closer observation or under good light conditions. Females are olive above and yellowish below.

From the Wikipedia article “Purple sunbird” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Purple_sunbird&oldid=1364949552), 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.

What does the purple sunbird sound like?

Vinay bhat · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Is the purple sunbird endangered?

The purple 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 purple sunbird classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderPasseriformes
  5. familyNectariniidae
  6. genusCinnyris
  7. SpeciesCinnyris asiaticus (Latham, 1790)

Synonyms Certhia asiatica, Certhia chloroptera, Nectarinia asiatica

Other names and names in other languages (48)
  • تمير أرجوانArabic
  • নীলটুনিBangla
  • Suimanga PorpraCatalan
  • suimanga metàl·licCatalan
  • strdimil fialovýCzech
  • PurpursolfuglDanish
  • PurpurnektarvogelGerman
  • purpura nektarinioEsperanto
  • Suimanga asiáticoSpanish
  • شهدخوارPersian
  • purppuramedestäjäFinnish
  • Souimanga asiatiqueFrench
  • Grianóg chorcraIrish
  • જાંબલી શક્કરખોરોGujarati
  • צופית סגולהHebrew
  • बैंगनी शक्करखोराHindi
  • purpurni medosasCroatian
  • bíbor nektármadárHungarian
  • Nettarinia violaItalian
  • Nettarinia purpureaItalian
  • ムラサキタイヨウチョウJapanese
  • ចាបកន្លង់ខៀវKhmer
  • ನೇರಳೆ ಸೂರಕ್ಕಿKannada
  • azijinė spalvingoji nektarinaLithuanian
  • purpura nektārputnsLatvian
  • കറുപ്പൻ തേൻകിളിMalayalam
  • जांभळा सूर्यपक्षीMarathi
  • PurperhoningzuigerDutch
  • nektarnik stalowyPolish
  • beija-flor-púrpuraPortuguese
  • nectarínia-asiáticaPortuguese
  • Атласная нектарницаRussian
  • Пурпуровая нектарницаRussian
  • nektárovka ligotaváSlovak
  • Ljubičasta sunčicaSerbian
  • Љубичаста сунчицаSerbian
  • purpursolfågelSwedish
  • கருஞ்சிவப்புTamil
  • ஊதா தேன்சிட்டுTamil
  • ஊதாத் தேன்சிட்டுTamil
  • นกกินปลีดำม่วงThai
  • Mor NektarkuşuTurkish
  • маріка пурпуроваUkrainian
  • Ма́ріка пурпуроваUkrainian
  • 紫太陽鳥Chinese
  • 紫色花蜜鸟Chinese
  • 紫花蜜鳥Chinese
  • 紫花蜜鸟Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the purple sunbird

Other species in the same genus Cinnyris.

LC, Least Concern

Copper sunbird

Cinnyris cupreus

NectariniidaeNo free photo yet

ComparePurple sunbird vs Garden sunbirdPurple sunbird vs Palestine sunbirdPurple sunbird vs Southern double-collared sunbirdPurple sunbird vs Purple-banded sunbird

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the purple sunbird?

An adult purple sunbird weighs 8 g – 8.2 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the purple sunbird endangered?

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

How long does the purple sunbird live?

The purple sunbird has a recorded lifespan of 22 years.

What kind of animal is the purple sunbird?

The purple sunbird (Cinnyris asiaticus) 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). Purple sunbird (Cinnyris asiaticus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/purple-sunbird

MLA

“Purple sunbird (Cinnyris asiaticus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/purple-sunbird.

BibTeX
@misc{purple_sunbird_2026,
  title = {Purple sunbird (Cinnyris asiaticus)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/purple-sunbird},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}