The Himalayas, is a mountain range which separates the Great Indian Plains from the Tibetan Plateau. This range is home to nine of the ten highest peaks on the Earth, including the highest, Mount Everest. The abrupt rise of the Himalayan Mountains from less than 500 meters to more than 8,000 meters in a few hundred kilometers has resulted in a huge diversity of flora and fauna. Nearly 1000 birds have been recorded in the Himalayas of which 15 species are fully endemic.
The crimson sunbird (Aethopyga siparaja) is a species in the sunbird family which feeds largely on nectar, although it will also take insects, especially when feeding young. Flight is fast and direct. It is a resident breeder in tropical southern Asia from India to Indonesia. Two eggs or three eggs are laid in a suspended nest in a tree. The species occurs in forest and cultivation.
IUCN Status: Least Concern (LC) Photo: Soumyajit Nandi