Beautiful Sunbird (Cinnyris pulchellus) Fact Sheet: Managed Care

• Rare in zoos, as are most sunbird species
  • Today and historically
• San Diego Zoo and Safari Park (Dave Rimlinger and Athena Wilson, personal communication)
  • First exhibited at the San Diego Zoo in 1968
  • First successful breeding at the San Diego Zoo in 1992
  • One of the few zoos to successfully display and raise Beautiful Sunbirds, from eggs, in managed care (as of August 2016)
    • Chicks have been parent reared and hand reared (from day 1)
    • New husbandry techniques continually being developed
      • Still much to be learned
  • Social interactions observed
    • Interactions with other African birds species
    • Females appear to do most of the feeding, as do wild Beautiful Sunbirds
      • Have observed the male partner feeding chicks, as well
• Rearing of sunbirds in managed care in the United States dates back to at least 1960 (Dellinger and Eckart 1991), perhaps earlier
  • Courtship and nest-building behaviors have been reported through the decades (Dellinger and Eckart 1991)
  • For articles on sunbird husbandry, two relevant publications include The Avicultural Magazine and The American Federation of Aviculture’s Watchbird

General

• Sunbirds have high energy requirements (Holland 2007)
• Require much time and attention, especially during acclimation (VanDegrift 1989; Holland 2007)

Diet in managed care

• Adults
  • Artificial nectars containing carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, and minerals (especially calcium) (Peaker 1990; Holland 2007)
  • Fresh fruit (VanDegrift 1989; Dellinger and Eckart 1991; Holland 2007; Athena Wilson, personal communication)
    • E.g., papaya and banana
  • Spiders, fruit flies, and other insects (VanDegrift 1989; Holland 2007)
• Chicks
  • Spiders, crickets, meal worms, waxworms, fruit flies, and other small insects (VanDegrift 1989; Peaker 1990; Dellinger and Eckart 1991; Dave Rimlinger and Athena Wilson, personal communication)
    • Protein important for chick development
    • Chicks have a near insatiable appetite for spiders
      • Consumed through fledging period
      • Adults knock off the spiders’ legs before feeding them to chicks
• Water is also important
  • Use frequently to bathe (VanDegrift 1989; Peaker 1990; Holland 2007)

Shelter

• During breeding, require materials for nest-building (VanDegrift 1989; Holland 2007; Athena Wilson, personal communication)
  • Dried grasses, thin leaves, mosses, spiders’ webs, animal hair, feathers, etc.
  • Similar materials to those used in the wild
• In some locations, may need heaters throughout the year for extra warmth (Peaker 1990; Holland 2007; Athena Wilson, personal communication)

A Beautiful Sunbird, Cinnyris pulchellus, living at the San Diego Zoo during the 1970s.

Image credit: © San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. All rights reserved.