Purple Honeycreepers

The Purple Honeycreepers, Cyanerpes caeruleus, is a small bird in the tanager family. It is found in the tropical New World from Colombia and Venezuela south to Brazil, and on Trinidad. A few, possibly introduced birds, have been recorded on Tobago.

This is a forest canopy species, but also occurs in cocoa and citrus plantations. The female Purple Honeycreeper builds a small cup nest in a tree and incubates the clutch of two brown-blotched white eggs.

The Purple Honeycreeper is 11.5cm long, weighs 12g and has a long, black decurved bill. The male is purple with black wings, tail and belly, and bright yellow legs. Females and immatures have green upperparts and green-streaked yellowish-buff underparts. The throat is cinnamon, and there is a blue moustachial stripe.

The Trinidadian race C. c. longirostris has a longer bill than the mainland forms. The call of the Purple Honeycreeper is a thin, high-pitched zree.

The Purple Honeycreeper is often found in small groups. It feeds on nectar, berries and insects, mainly in the canopy. It responds readily to the call of the Ferruginous Pygmy Owl.

Description

The Purple Honeycreeper is a beautiful little bird, a jewel in the tropical forests of North America. This tiny bird is only 11.5 cm long and weighs around 12 grams. It packs a lot of colour and personality into its small frame. Males have a striking purple plumage, with black contrasting wings, tail and belly. They also have bright yellow legs. The females and young birds are more subdued in their beauty. They have green upperparts with yellowish-buff underneath parts streaked green and a cinnamon throat with a soft, blue moustachial line. 

The sexual dimorphism helps birdwatchers to identify the birds in the wild, but it also enhances their beauty. Purple Honeycreeper calls are often heard echoing in the forest canopy. The call is a thin, high-pitched “zree”, which leads curious observers towards their presence. Some subspecies have longer bills than others, such as those in Trinidad. This is a sign of the bird’s ability to adapt to different environments. According to BirdLife International, this species is well documented.

Behaviour

These birds are highly active and restless, often seen flitting through the canopy or hanging upside down to reach the seeds inside ripe fruits like those trees. They are restless and highly active, often seen flying through the canopy to reach the seeds in ripe fruit like the Clusia trees. The long, curved bill of the Purple Honeycreepers is designed to sip nectar from flowers like bromeliads. They are therefore important pollinators for their ecosystem. Purple Honeycreepers also hunt for small insects, gleaning beneath leaves or executing quick aerial sallies to catch their prey as they fly. They are mostly canopy dwellers but will occasionally venture down to lower branches and the forest edge for food. According to eBird, this species is well documented.

During breeding season, they can be aggressive and territorial, protecting their nesting site vigorously. They also show their boldness and curiosity in the way they react to predators. For example, when ferruginous pygmy-owls call out to them from hiding places, the birds will mob up and chase the owls away. Purple Honeycreepers are a popular subject for photographers and birdwatchers because of their vibrant colour, active feeding habits and fearless behaviour.

Diet / Feeding 

Purple Honeycreepers eat a variety of foods, including fruit, berries and nectar. They also eat seeds and insects. The long, curved bill of the Purple Honeycreeper allows it to reach deep inside blossoms. Also, they feed on the seeds of open fruits such as Clusia and Tremia, as well as bigger fruits such as papayas and bananas. Insects are an important part of their diet. They provide the necessary protein, especially when raising chicks. The Purple Honeycreeper’s diverse diet is not only essential for its nutrition, but it also helps to maintain the ecosystems of tropical forests by pollination and dispersal of seeds.

Breeding

The female Purple Honeycreeper builds nests in the form of delicate cups high in the trees. They carefully craft them so that they can hold two eggs, white with brown spots. During incubation, the female remains close to the nest and protects the eggs. The chicks are cared for by the parents until they leave the nest. When watching Purple Honeycreepers in the breeding season, you can see a side to their behaviour that is marked by both tenderness as well as fierce protection. They are working hard to ensure the survival of the next generation.

Habitat

Purple Honeycreepers are most active in the canopy of the forest, where they fly energetically between the leaves and flowers. The birds prefer tropical lowland rainforests, but they are equally at home in environments influenced by humans, such as cocoa and citrus plantations, where food is abundant. 

These birds are found at the uppermost limits of their range in premontane rain forests, which tend to be low-growing and have a lot of mosses, epiphytes, and lichens. They sometimes explore elfin forest ecosystems and paramo ecosystems in these cooler, more cloudy habitats. The variety of habitats, from dense tropical canopy to forest edge and plantations, shows how adaptable Purple Honeycreepers really are. They can adapt to changing landscapes while still bringing their vibrant colours and lively behaviour to their environment.

Distribution