Jurgen Freund / Magnificent sunbird (Aethopyga magnifica) male perched on flower. Bacolod, Negros Occidental, Philippines.

Jed Weingarten / Wild Wonders of China / Mrs Gould's sunbird (Aethopyga gouldiae) perched on branch, Tangjiahe Nature Reserve, Sichuan Province, China.

Ann & Steve Toon / Malachite sunbird (Nectarinia famosa) feding at flower, Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, Cape Town, South Africa, September

Ann & Steve Toon / Orange-breasted sunbird (Anthobaphes violacea), Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, Cape Town, South Africa, September

Steven David Miller / Olive-backed sunbird (Nectarinia jugularis) female returning to her nest with nesting material, Cape Hillsborough National Park, Queensland, Australia, September.

Steven David Miller / Olive-backed Sunbird (Nectarinia jugularis) female in her nest, Cape Hillsborough National Park, Queensland, Australia, September.

Melvin Grey / Variable sunbird (Nectarinia venusta) adult male on Hibiscus flower, Nairobi, Kenya

Ole Jorgen Liodden / Red-chested Sunbird (Cinnyris erythrocercus) backlit on flower, Rwanda.

Dong Lei / Mrs Gould's sunbird (Aethopyga gouldiae dabryii) male feeding from Chinese wild peach flowers (Prunus davidiana) Kawakarpo Mountain, Meri Snow Mountain National Park, Yunnan Province, China. May.

Dong Lei / Mrs Gould's sunbird (Aethopyga gouldiae dabryii) male hanging upside down and feeding from Chinese wild peach (Prunus davidiana) male blossom, Kawakarpo Mountain, Meri Snow Mountain National Park, Yun...

Richard Du Toit / Malachite sunbird {Nectarinia famosa} male feeding from flowers, South Western Cape, South Africa

Fred Olivier / Malachite sunbird (nectarinia famosa) feeding on acacia before hopping down the stem out of sight, Bontebok National Park, South Africa, December.

Ashish & Shanthi Chandola / Purple rumped sunbird (Nectarinia zeylonica) male, in flowering Indian coral tree (Erythrina indica) Whitefield, Bangalore, Inida

Jurgen Freund / Magnificent sunbird (Aethopyga magnifica) male perched on flower. Bacolod, Negros Occidental, Philippines.

Jurgen Freund / Magnificent sunbird (Aethopyga magnifica) female perched on flower. Negros Occidental, Philippines.

Jurgen Freund / Magnificent sunbird (Aethopyga magnifica) female perched on flower. Negros Occidental, Philippines.

Ashish & Shanthi Chandola / Green tailed sunbird (Aethopyga nipalensis) nectaring on flowers, in tree. North Sikkim, India. April.

Ashish & Shanthi Chandola / Green tailed sunbird (Aethopyga nipalensis) female perched on branch. North Sikkim, India. April.

Ashish & Shanthi Chandola / Fire-tailed sunbird (Aethopyga ignicauda) perched amongst blossom. North Sikkim, India. April.

Ashish & Shanthi Chandola / Green tailed sunbird (Aethopyga nipalensis) nectaring on blossom. North Sikkim, India. April.

David Tipling / Souimanga sunbird (Cinnyris sovimanga race buchenorum) male, perched on twig, Wizard Island, Cosmoledo Atoll Seychelles

David Tipling / Souimanga sunbird (Cinnyris sovimanga race buchenorum) female, Wizard Island, Cosmoledo Atoll, Seychelles

Ashish & Shanthi Chandola / Purple Sunbird (Nectarinia asiatica ), female - Whitefield, Bangalore, April.

Lorraine Bennery / Souimanga sunbird (Cinnyris sovimanga) adult male preening. Tsimanampetsotsa National Park, Madagascar.

Richard Du Toit / RF - Greater doublecollared sunbird (Nectarinia afra) male perched on Pincushion flower (Leucospermum sp.) in fynbos habitat, Western Cape Province, South Africa. Endemic species to this region. (This...

Richard Du Toit / Southern double-collared sunbird (Cinnyris chalybeus), male perched in fynbos habitat, Western Cape Province, South Africa. Endemic species to this region.

Staffan Widstrand / Wild Wonders of China / Black-throated sunbird (Aethopyga saturata) Tongbiguan nature reserve, Dehong, Yunnan, China

Staffan Widstrand / Wild Wonders of China / Black-throated sunbird (Aethopyga saturata) female, Gaoligongshan, Yunnan, China

Staffan Widstrand / Wild Wonders of China / Black-throated sunbird (Aethopyga saturata) female, Gaoligongshan, Yunnan, China

Staffan Widstrand / Wild Wonders of China / Black-throated sunbird (Aethopyga saturata) Tongbiguan nature reserve, Dehong, Yunnan, China

Oscar Dewhurst / Long-billed sunbird (Cinnyris lotenius) nectaring on flowers. Goa, India. September.

Heather Angel / Malachite sunbird (Nectarinia famosa) male perching on King protea (Protea cynaroides) whilst foraging for nectar. Pearl Mountain Reserve, South Africa, August.

Heather Angel / Southern double-collared sunbird (Cinnyris chalybeus), male nectaring on Pincushion protea (Leucospermum cordifolium). Cape, South Africa. August.

Heather Angel / Malachite sunbird (Nectarinia famosa) male nectaring on King protea (Protea cynaroides). Pearl Mountain Reserve, South Africa, August.

Heather Angel / Southern double-collared sunbird (Cinnyris chalybeus), male nectaring on Pincushion protea (Leucospermum cordifolium). Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, Cape Town, South Africa. August.

Heather Angel / Malachite sunbird (Nectarinia famosa) male nectaring on King protea (Protea cynaroides). Cape Province, South Africa. August.

Heather Angel / Jade vine (Strongylodon macrobotrys) in glasshouse at Kew Gardens, London, UK. Endemic to the Philippines. Pollinated by sunbirds.

Heather Angel / Orange breasted sunbird (Anthobaphes violacea), male nectaring on Heather (Erica sp). Kirstenbosch Botanic Garden, Cape Town, South Africa. February

Ann & Steve Toon / Orange-breasted sunbird (Anthobaphes violacea) female on Leucospermum cordifolium 'Yellow Bird' Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, Cape Town, South Africa, September

Ann & Steve Toon / Southern double-collared sunbird (Cinnyris chalybeus), Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, Cape Town, South Africa, September

Ann & Steve Toon / Orange-breasted sunbird (Anthobaphes violacea) on flower, Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, Cape Town, South Africa, September

Ashish & Shanthi Chandola / Purple sunbird (Cinnyris asiaticus) on branch between flowers. Bandipur National Park, Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, Karnataka, India.

Ashish & Shanthi Chandola / Purple sunbird (Cinnyris asiaticus) amongst orange flowers. Bandipur National Park, Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, Karnataka, India.

Richard Du Toit / Greater double-collared sunbird (Nectarinia afra) at Cape honeysuckle (Tecoma capensis) flower, Garden Route National Park; South Africa; Western Cape Province; Wilderness

Richard Du Toit / Orange-breasted sunbird (Anthobaphes violacea) Western Cape Province, South Africa.

Richard Du Toit / Southern double-collared sunbird (Cinnyris chalybeus) on flowers, Western Cape Province, South Africa.

Richard Du Toit / Greater doublecollared sunbird (Nectarinia afra) on Wild Dagga (Leonotis leonurus) flowers. Garden Route National Park, Western Cape Province, South Africa.

Richard Du Toit / Southern double-collared sunbird (Cinnyris chalybeus) Garden Route National Park, Western Cape Province, South Africa.