Mrs Gould's Sunbird Aethopyga gouldiae

Mrs Gould's Sunbird Aethopyga gouldiae

Mrs Gould's Sunbird, Dochu La, Thimphu, Bhutan, March 2008 - click for larger image

Bhutan
March/April 2008

Mrs Gould's Sunbird is distributed from the Himalayas through north-east India and southern China to Indochina, Myanmar and Thailand. In Bhutan it is found between 1,000 and 3,400 metres and we found them mainly in forest with rhododendrons.

It was by far the most common sunbird that we found on our three week trip.

The male has a crimson mantle and back with an iridescent deep blue nape, throat and ear-coverts. The wings are olive-green, the rump is yellow and the tail is blue. The breast and belly is yellow with reddish streaks on the breast.

Mrs Gould's Sunbird, Yutong La, Bumthang, Bhutan, April 2008 - click for larger image

The female is olive-green with brownish wings and a shorter bill than the male.

Mrs Gould was the wife of the famous British ornithologist and artist, John Gould and she helped to illustrate many of his well-known books on birds.

Mrs Gould's Sunbird, Limnethang Road, Mongar, Bhutan, April 2008 - click for larger image

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