Purple Sunbird

The purple sunbird is a small sunbird of parts of the Arabian peninsula and South and Southeast Asia, under 10 cm long, with a short down-curved bill and brush-tipped tongue. It flies fast and directly and can hover like a hummingbird at flowers but often perches at their base. Males look all black in harsh sun, but their purple iridescence shows in good light. Females are olive above and yellowish below with a pale eyebrow (Wikipedia, general species account).

It feeds mainly on nectar and insects, especially when feeding young. Breeding males can be confused with Loten's sunbird, which has a longer, more curved bill and a broad maroon breast band.