Midget Flowerpecker (Dicaeum aeneum becki) 19 September 2019, Mount Austen, Guadalcanal, Solomon
Islands
![]() ![]() Flowerpeckers are usually placed in the Dicaeidae but some authors merge this family with the Sunbirds (Nectariniidae). Midget Flowerpecker is a tiny Solomon Island endemic with short bill and tail. It prefers to forage in the canopy. Like other Flowerpeckers, it has a specialized digestive tract to handle mistletoe berries. This is a female. Adult males are similar but have a bright red breast patch. Three subspecies are recognized of which this is D. a. becki, endemic to Guadalcanal. Canon PowerShot SX60. References: Cheke, R. & Mann, C. (2019). Midget Flowerpecker (Dicaeum aeneum). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from https://www.hbw.com/node/60145 on 27 November 2019). Dutson, G. (2011) Birds of Melanesia, Christopher Helm, London. Gregory, P. (2017) Birds of New Guinea, Including Bismarck Archipelago and Boughainville. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. |