Olive Sunbird (Cyanomitra olivacea) [XC641203]
by BurBenj from Mandegee farm, oloitoktok, Kenya (call)
Olive Sunbird (Cyanomitra olivacea) [XC767405]
by Oliver Fowler from Lope NP, Ogoou\u00e9-Ivindo, Gabon (call)
Subspecies
Genus formerly subsumed in Nectarinia. Probably forms a superspecies with Tufted Olive Sunbird (Nectarinia obscura). Formerly regarded as conspecific, but separated initially on basis that females of latter lack pectoral tufts. Although some female Tufted Olive Sunbird (Nectarinia obscura) do have pectoral tufts (albeit white, wispy insignificant ones), and conspecificity supported by analyses of mitochondrial DNA, treatment as separate species nevertheless considered justified, as the two differ in vocalizations and in egg patterning, and yellow pectoral tufts extremely rare (if they occur at all) in female Tufted Olive Sunbird (Nectarinia obscura). Recent re-examination of specimens reveals that possibility of sympatry of the two species on Zanzibar is unfounded.
Additional proposed subspecies are chyulu (described from Chyulu Mts, in southern Kenya), which is merged with neglecta, puguensis (Mafia I, off northern Tanzania), synonymized with changamwensis, intercalans (Fort Jameson, in Eastern Province of Zambia), included in alfredi, and daviesi (Pondoland, in coastal eastern South Africa), considered indistinguishable from nominate.
The following 11 subspecies are recognised:
changamwensis Mearns, 1910 - Southern Somalia and coastal south-eastern Kenya and eastern Tanzania (inland to Taita, Usambaras, Pugu Hills and southern Pare Mts), Zanzibar and Mafia I.
neglecta Neumann, 1900 - South-central Kenya south to north-eastern Tanzania.
olivacina (Peters, W, 1881) - Coastal areas of south-eastern Tanzania, Mozambique and north-eastern South Africa (north-eastern KwaZulu-Natal).
olivacea (Smith, 1840) - Southern KwaZulu-Natal south to north-eastern eastern Cape (Pondoland), in eastern South Africa.
guineensis Bannerman, 1921 - Senegal to Togo.
cephaelis (Bates, 1930) - Benin to northern Angola and the Congo Basin.
obscura (Jardine, 1842) - Principe I. and Bioko I. (Gulf of Guinea).
ragazzii (Salvadori, 1888) - Southern South Sudan and south-western Ethiopia to Uganda, western Kenya, western Tanzania, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, and northern Zambia.
granti Vincent, 1934 - Zanzibar and Pemba I.
sclateri Vincent, 1934 - Eastern Zimbabwe and west central Mozambique.
BirdLife International Species Factsheet