Malachite Sunbird
Nectarinia famosa (Linnaeus, 1766)
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.
A calling male Malachite Sunbird Nectarinia famosa perched on a Pincushion Protea Leucospermum cordifolium flower taken in Elgin, South Africa
Gouldingken · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
The malachite sunbird (Nectarinia famosa) is a small nectarivorous bird found from the highlands of Ethiopia southwards to South Africa. They pollinate many flowering plants, particularly those with long corolla tubes, in the Fynbos.
Wikipedia contributors, Malachite sunbird; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T06:33:05.762660+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Nectarinia famosa (Linnaeus, 1766)
- Name authority
- (Linnaeus, 1766)
- Common name
- Malachite Sunbird
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Nectariniidae
- Genus
- Nectarinia
- 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
- genusNectarinia Illiger, 1811
- speciesNectarinia famosa (Linnaeus, 1766)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Nectarinia. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Scarlet-tufted SunbirdNectarinia johnstoni Shelley, 1885 | NectariniidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Bronzy SunbirdNectarinia kilimensis Shelley, 1885 | NectariniidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Purple-breasted SunbirdNectarinia purpureiventris (Reichenow, 1893) | NectariniidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Tacazze SunbirdNectarinia tacazze (Stanley, 1814) | 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=561501 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.
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:6S7FQ. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.