Sunbird

SUNBIRD (Nectarinia osea)
Seventh in the "Birds of Israel" Series

The Sunbird is a tiny singing bird and the smallest in Israel, only about 10cm long and 8g in weight. It has a long tongue with a brush-like tip which it uses for collecting pollen. Its proportionally long beak is curved to enable it to reach the pollen easily. The male has beautiful shades of iridescent royal blue, while the female is brown and grey. The female builds the nest alone and sits on the eggs. Both birds feed the young and keep the same nest from year to year.

In the past, the Sunbird was rarely seen in Israel, but as gardens and flowers have become more popular, the Sunbird has become much more common.

Design: Igal Gabay

Description:

Obverse: A sunbird over flowers with pollen.

Common Reverse of the Series: The Land of Israel at the center of the world as seen from a satellite map. Around the border, the angles and directions of a compass, symbolizing the "inner compass" of birds that directs them to the Land of Israel.