A red tail and white belly
The male's crimson plumage is set off by a white belly, a long red tail and a dark moustache stripe. These details help distinguish it from a male Crimson Sunbird. Females are much less conspicuous, with a greyish wash on the head, a white belly and a faint rusty tinge to the wings and tail. The song is thin and soft, easily lost among louder forest sounds.
Sources & references · 1
Cornell Lab of Ornithology, eBird/Merlin · Temminck's Sunbird identificationFlowers along mountain ridges
Flowering trees and shrubs draw this sunbird into view, particularly mistletoes. During the joint biodiversity expedition in Kayan Mentarang, birds were conspicuous above 1,450 metres at mistletoe and rhododendron bushes on exposed ridges. Adults feeding fledglings were seen at two localities. Those observations connect flowering mountain vegetation with both feeding and family activity, without implying that all populations breed at the same season or elevation.
Sources & references · 1
Mardiastuti A. and Soehartono T. (eds.); Ministry of Forestry, WWF Indonesia and ITTO · Joint Biodiversity Expedition in Kayan Mentarang National ParkWatching the flowers
On Borneo, hill and montane forest are useful settings for observation, including flowering vegetation near forest edges. Kinabalu research includes the species in its elevational records, while the Tawai survey also documents it in Sabah. Historical ornithological records from Pulong Tau place it in Sarawak's uplands. Waiting quietly near flowers allows its small shape and quick movements to become easier to follow; the male's red tail and white belly are more helpful than colour alone when other red sunbirds are present.
