Leptocoma is a genus of sunbirds found from tropical South Asia to Papua New Guinea. Its members are sometimes included in Nectarinia.
The sunbirds are a group of very small Old World passerine birds which feed largely on nectar, although they will also take insects, especially when feeding young. Flight is fast and direct on their short wings. Most species can take nectar by hovering like a hummingbird, but usually perch to feed.
The genus was introduced by the German ornithologist Jean Cabanis in 1850 with the type species as Nectarinia hasseltii Temminck 1825, a junior synonym of Certhia brasiliana Gmelin, JF, 1788, Van Hasselt's sunbird.[1] [2] [3] The name Leptocoma combines the Ancient Greek words leptos "delicate" or "fine" and komē "hair".[4]
Its six species in the genus are:[5]
| Male | Female | Common Name | Scientific name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leptocoma zeylonica | India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh | |||
| Leptocoma minima | Western Ghats of India | |||
| Leptocoma sperata | the Philippines | |||
| Leptocoma brasiliana | Northeast India, Bangladesh and Southeast Asia | |||
| Leptocoma aspasia | eastern Indonesia and New Guinea | |||
| Leptocoma calcostetha | Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam | |||