Scientific Name: Leptocoma calcostetha
Malay Name: Kelicap Bakau
Chinese Name: 铜喉花蜜鸟
Range: Found from mainland Southeast Asia to the Philippines, Sumatra, Java and Borneo
Taxonomy: Monotypic.
Size: 14 cm
Identification: Male is relatively long-tailed with distinctive iridescent green crown, shoulder-patch and uppertail-coverts, iridescent copper-red throat, purple flanks and blackish lower breast/belly. Female can be separated from other sunbirds by combination of greyish crown and head-sides, white throat and longish tail with white-tipped outer feathers.
Similar looking species: Brown-throated Sunbird, Van Hasselt's Sunbird, Ornate Sunbird, Crimson Sunbird, Ruby-cheeked Sunbird
Habitat: Mangroves
Behaviour/Ecology: Keeps mainly to the upper and middle storeys.
Local Status: Uncommon resident
Conservation Status: Least Concern (BirdLife International 2016)
Location: Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve and Pulau Ubin.
- Local extinctions of Singapore birds (Science)
- Bird Calls of Singapore (Birders' Stories)
Conservation Status: IUCN Red List Page
Sound Recordings: xeno-canto Link
Wikipedia Entry: Wikipedia Link
eBird Species page: eBird (Copper-throated Sunbird)
References:
BirdLife International. (2016). Leptocoma calcostetha. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22717794A94552451.en. Accessed on 1 January 2023
Jeyarajasingam, A., & Pearson, A. (2012). A Field Guide to the Birds of Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore. Oxford University Press.
Robson, C. (2014). Field guide to the birds of South-East Asia (Second Edition). Bloomsbury Publishing, London.
RECOMMENDED CITATION
Bird Society of Singapore. (n.d.). Copper-throated Sunbird. Retrieved on July 12, 2025 from https://singaporebirds.com/species/copper-throated-sunbird.