Hedydipna

Hedydipna
Collared sunbird, Hedydipna collaris
Scientific classification
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.

Image Scientific name Common name Distribution
Hedydipna collaris Collared sunbird sub-Saharan Africa
Hedydipna platura Pygmy sunbird Benin, 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 metallica Nile Valley sunbird Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Libya, and Yemen
Hedydipna pallidigaster Amani sunbird Kenya 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.