The amethyst sunbird (Chalcomitra amethystina) is a large sunbird in the family Nectariniidae, with males appearing largely glossy black but showing iridescent amethyst-purple on the crown and throat in good light; females are streaked brown with pale eyebrows. It is native to sub-equatorial Africa, occurring across 19 countries from Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo south through Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and into South Africa. The species feeds on nectar from a wide range of tubular-flowered plants including Aloe, Strelitzia, Leonotis, and Protea, and supplements this diet with insects (including emergent termites) and spiders gleaned from foliage. It is an important pollinator in southern African garden and bushveld habitats, and its range has expanded with the spread of wooded suburban gardens.

Nectar plants · 3

Occurs across sub-equatorial Africa in 19 countries: from Gabon and the southern Republic of Congo east through southeastern South Sudan and northwestern Somalia, south through Ethiopia, Burundi, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Malawi, DRC, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Botswana, Namibia, Eswatini, and South Africa. Four to six subspecies are recognised depending on authority (IOC recognises four; Wikispecies and Wikipedia list six). Undertakes seasonal movements to follow flowering resources. Range of the nominate subspecies has expanded with the spread of wooded suburban gardens.