Olive-backed Sunbird, Cinnyris jugularis (formerly, Nectarinia jugularis; protonym; Certhia jugularis), also known as the yellow-bellied sunbird, photographed at Langkawi, the Jewel of Kedah, Malaysia.
Image: Chris Callanan, 23 February 2009 [velociraptorize].
Nikon D40x with 200mm telephoto lens
Question: This species has a peculiar breeding behaviour that I've not seen an explanation for ... can you name the bird and its strange behaviour (and propose a scientific explanation for it)?
Response: This is a male olive-backed Sunbird, Cinnyris jugularis. I think it looks like a young bird that has not quite attained its full adult plumage, but I could be wrong about this, especially considering the camera angle and the angle of the sun, neither of which are particularly optimal.
The peculiar breeding behaviour I was asking about was how these birds will abandon their completed nest for about a week before the female returns to lay her clutch of one or two greenish-blue eggs. I have no idea why these birds would abandon their nest for a week or so, but palfreyman suggested this might fool a cuckoo waiting to parasitise the nest, and shundarnagin suggested that this might fool snakes or other predators. These suggestions make sense to me, but I don't know if anyone has done any research to find out more.
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