Plain-backed Sunbird
Anthreptes reichenowi Gunning, 1909
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The plain-backed sunbird, also known as blue-throated sunbird (Anthreptes reichenowi) is a sunbird. The sunbirds are a group of very small Old World passerine birds which feed largely on nectar, although they will also take insects, especially when feeding young. Flight is fast and direct on their short wings. Most species can take nectar by hovering like a hummingbird, but usually perch to feed most of the time.
The plain-backed sunbird has a disjunct distribution, with one subpopulation in the coastal lowlands of Kenya and north-eastern Tanzania, and another in Mozambique and Zimbabwe. It may be at risk from clearance of lowland forest throughout its range.
Wikipedia contributors, Plain-backed sunbird; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:44:33.304356+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Anthreptes reichenowi Gunning, 1909
- Name authority
- Gunning, 1909
- Common name
- Plain-backed Sunbird
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Nectariniidae
- Genus
- Anthreptes
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderPasseriformes
- familyNectariniidae Vigors, 1825
- genusAnthreptes Swainson, 1832
- speciesAnthreptes reichenowi Gunning, 1909
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Anthreptes. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Mangrove SunbirdAnthreptes gabonicus (Hartlaub, 1861) | NectariniidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Anchieta's SunbirdAnthreptes anchietae (Bocage, 1878) | NectariniidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Eastern Violet-backed SunbirdAnthreptes orientalis Hartlaub, 1880 | NectariniidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Banded Green SunbirdAnthreptes rubritorques Reichenow, 1905 | NectariniidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Grey-chinned SunbirdAnthreptes rectirostris (Shaw, 1812) | NectariniidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Anthreptes griseigularis Tweeddale, 1878 | NectariniidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Anthreptes seimundi (Ogilvie-Grant, 1908) | NectariniidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Plain SunbirdAnthreptes simplex (S. Muller, 1843) | NectariniidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Western Violet-backed SunbirdAnthreptes longuemarei (Lesson, 1831) | NectariniidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Anthreptes rhodolaemus Shelley, 1878 | NectariniidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Anthreptes aurantius J. Verreaux & E. Verreaux, 1851 | NectariniidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Uluguru Violet-backed SunbirdAnthreptes neglectus Neumann, 1922 | NectariniidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=558628 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:5VHYT. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.