The Purple sugarbird come from the majority of northern South America and some of the Caribbean islands.
Subspecies: There are 5 sub-species but the difference between these is not clear.
Plumage Colouration: The male Purple Sugarbird as its name suggests is primarily purple except for the Primaries, eye stripes, chin and throat of which are black.
Females are mainly leaf green above and greeny cream below with green striations. Juveniles are identical to the female.
Males do not attain full adult colour until they are between 18-24 months old. Males appear to be fertile once adult colour is 3/4 completed.
Sexing: The male Purple Sugarbird as its name suggests is primarily purple except for the Primaries, eye stripes, chin and throat of which are black.
Females are mainly leaf green above and greeny cream below with green striations.
Immatures are identical to the female.
Males do not attain full adult colour until they are between 18-24 months old.
Males appear to be fertile once adult colour is 3/4 completed.
Feeding: A nectar diet is the mainstay for these birds but also fruit such as Pear, Banana, and Pomegranite. Livefood in the form of Mini Mealworms, small Waxworms and fruit flies are essential as is an insectivorous mixture.
There are two nectar mixes that we use the first one consists of 1 scoop of Wysoy baby powder and 2 scoops of Glucose powder mixed until dissolved with a little boiling water then topped up to 500 mls with cold water. This will sustain them in reasonably good health but the best diet we have found is this:
3 scoops of Wysoy baby powder,
7 dessert spoons of white sugar, 1/8 of a teaspoon of bees pollen,
1/4 teaspoon of de-activated yeast,
Mix these together dry then add-
1/8 of a teaspoon of Cytacon (vitamin B12),
1 teaspoon full of Minamino compound (multi vitamin),
Mix with boiling water until dissolved, then make up to 1 litre with cold water.
NOTE: Too much Cytacon can poison the birds.
Housing: They can be kept quite happily in a large indoor cage the size of a double budgerigar breeder. But I prefer to try and keep these birds in an aviary on their own, this will give them their best chance of breeding. They can have access to an outdoor aviary during the summer months as long as the temperature does not drop below 60ºF. The temperature must not be allowed to drop below 60ºF in the winter months.
They mix quite happily with other birds when not breeding, at such times however they will preferably be isolated or they may become a little protective of their nest.
They must have access to drinking water and a bath at all times as they love to bathe.
Breeding: An aviary or cage to themselves will attain the best breeding results. They will utilise a square finch nest box or wicker basket where they will build a small cup shaped nest made entirely of coconut fibre. The usual clutch consists of 2 eggs and these hatch after approximately 14 days. The chicks leave the nest after a further 21 days approximately. When they have eggs in the nest it is best to start providing sponge fingers soaked in nectar right the way through until they have fledged. Small white mealworms and an abundance of fruit flies are essential if the chicks are to survive through to adulthood.
Hints/tips: When purchasing any softbill do not worry too much about the feather condition, even if the birds are nearly devoid of feathers, in time the feathers will grow back. Do however check that there is no scarring on the skin of the bird as permanent scarring can results in feather follicles being irrepairably damaged. The birds must have bright, clear and round eyes and be seen to be quite active, avoid birds that are fluffed up and lethargic these birds probably won't survive.
When they are first aquired they must be kept on their own in quarantine and not put straight into an aviary with others for approximately 2 weeks. This will allow any diseases that they may be harbouring to become apparent without subjecting other birds to the infection.
Unique Characteristics: They are very active birds and the males are always singing, yet not at all noisy. They are not suitable for the newcomer to birdkeeping although I would recommend them to someone that wants to start with nectar feeders, after having experience with other softbills.
Showing: I have won many best in shows and have one of the best collections of exhibition softbills in the area. My show team consists of Tanagers, Sugarbirds, Sunbirds, Niltavas, Lorikeets and a few of the rarer finches. They are all shown in large cages and they always have flowers arranged in one corner.
If you would like to know any other information about these or any of my other birds please feel free to get in touch by email c/o derek.heath1@ntlworld.com
