Purple Sunbird



I always assumed Sunbirds fed on flower nectar like hummingbirds, by inserting their beak into the corolla. However, I observed these Sunbirds, as well as Garden Sunbirds, piercing the corolla with their beak near the base of the style, presumably where the nectar is stored. Their beak created tiny slits in the petals, which can be seen in the right photo above. These are the flowers of the Yellow Trumpet Flower, Tecoma stans.