Southern Double-collared Sunbird Cinnyris chalybeus and Malachite Sunbird Nectarinia famosa presence in southern Namibia

Abstract

An interesting question is what attracts these sunbirds into the harsh and marginal interior away from the more diverse Orange River habitat? A source of regular, albeit limited (in time), nectar in the area is Aloe dichotoma and although they typically flower between April and July, flowers are borne en masse producing copious amounts of nectar.