Scarlet-tufted Malachite Sunbird

The Ngorongoro Crater rim is the most accessible location on the northern circuit, where the altitude is high enough for afro-alpine vegetation. Mount Meru in Arusha National Park also holds them above the forest line. They are not found in the Serengeti, Tarangire or Lake Manyara because those parks are too low.

The scarlet-tufted malachite sunbird is a separate species that lives at higher altitudes, above 2,800 metres, in the afro-alpine zone. It has distinctive red pectoral tufts that the lowland malachite sunbird lacks. Both are iridescent green but occupy different altitudinal zones with minimal overlap.

Primarily nectar from giant lobelias and proteas in the afro-alpine moorland zone. They are the main pollinator for several high-altitude plant species. They also eat small insects caught on the wing or picked from vegetation. Their curved bill is adapted for the deep tubular flowers of their altitude zone.

They have evolved to exploit the nectar resources of the afro-alpine zone, where competition from other sunbird species is minimal. Their ability to enter torpor on cold nights and tolerate low oxygen gives them exclusive access to a food source that no other nectar-feeding bird can use at that altitude.

Within their habitat they are not rare, but that habitat is limited to a narrow altitudinal band above 2,800 metres. Most safari itineraries only touch this zone briefly during the Ngorongoro rim drive. A dedicated stop at the right altitude with flowering lobelias gives a good chance.

They enter torpor, a state of controlled hypothermia where body temperature and metabolic rate drop significantly. This conserves energy through cold nights when temperatures near the summit can drop close to freezing. They warm up rapidly in the morning sun and resume normal activity within minutes.