Purple-Naped Spiderhunter

Formerly know as Purple Naped Sunbird Hypogramma hypogrammicum now know as Purple Naped Spiderhunter Arachnothera hypogrammicum. With Worlwide 5 subspecies Malaysia have 1 subspecies which is A.r muchale. Borneo know from another subspecies A.h. hypogrammicum. Alternative name to this species is the Banded Sunbird.

The bird is easily identified with olive upperpart with heavy streaking on the underpart. Black undertail with white tip. Male with purple on naped which resulting to this species name. Their plumage for many years before the change in taxon have made many who see this species think they are spiderhunter.

Spiderhunter and sunbird both with many thousand year of evolutionary made their bill modified to suit some specialized way of feeding. Though host plant are more commonly heard in butterfly study and observation here both family of spiderhunter and sunbird have evolve to suit some species of plant and feeding technique. Here I will like to say that yes both sunbird and spiderhunter have food plant. Apart from this two species the other family group is flowerpecker. Food plant for this species is know from Plagiostachy sp, fruit of callicarpa, longifolia, and many more.

Compared to some species of spiderhunter this species is more known to forage from ground level to 5 meter above ground. Mainly resemble lot of little spiderhunter.

While not much know from their life span retarp individual were 5 years in gap.

Purple,Naped Spiderhunter
Photo by Terence Ang