On Friday, we noticed that a Malachite Sunbird pair had nested inside the front porch light frame of the Lodge, which is a very unusual place for them to suspend a nest.

Sunbird Nest in the lodge

With amateur phone cameras, we tried to determine the possibility of little chicks inside the nest, as the mother bird seemed to be coming to feed them every 2 to 5 minutes. The nest must have already been there for a few weeks as the female incubates one to three dark-blotched greenish eggs for about two weeks before they hatch. Sunbird chicks are fed by both parents until fledging; they will continue to return to the nest to roost.

Male Sunbird (Dad)

Female Sunbird (Mom)

On Monday Morning we were fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of these beautiful little fledglings as they welcomed us in at the front door of our Lodge.

Sunbird chick

Mom and dad are still feeding the youngsters, who are very quickly testing the waters outside of the comfort of their snuggly nest. They have also discovered that they can now fly. Sunbirds are said to grow fairly quickly after hatching.

Go well little Sunbirds! (By Mary Strydom, Reserve Manager at Gondwana)

As a „hands-on“ guest ranger at our conservation program, you can get involved at the important conservation work in the Gondwana Game Reserve. read more about our program