Hedydipna

Hedydipna
Collared sunbird, Hedydipna collaris
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Nectariniidae
Genus: Hedydipna
Cabanis, 1851
Type species
Cinnyris platurus
Vieillot, 1819
Species

H. collaris
H. platura
H. metallica
H. pallidigaster

Synonyms

Anthodiaeta

Hedydipna is a genus of sunbirds. It contains the following species, which are sometimes included in genus Anthreptes.

ImageScientific nameCommon nameDistribution
Hedydipna collarisCollared sunbirdsub-Saharan Africa
Hedydipna platuraPygmy sunbirdBenin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Togo, and Uganda.
Hedydipna metallicaNile Valley sunbirdDjibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Libya, and Yemen
Hedydipna pallidigasterAmani sunbirdKenya and Tanzania

The name Hedydipna comes from the Greek hēdudeipnos, meaning "dainty-supping" or "sweet-eating" — a reference to the nectar sipping habits of these species. These sunbirds are largely restricted to Africa and western islands in the Indian Ocean, though the Nile Valley sunbird is found as far east as Yemen.