Anthreptes is a genus of passerine birds in the sunbird family, Nectariniidae.
These small birds are found in Africa, Southeast Asia, the Greater Sunda Islands, the Philippines and western Wallacea. Most species show marked sexual dichromatism with the male having more brightly coloured plumage.
Taxonomy The genus Anthreptes was introduced in 1832 by the English zoologist William Swainson with Cynniris javanica Swainson as the type species and only species in the genus. The title page bears the year 1831 but the volume was not published until 1832. See: The name Cynniris javanica is a junior synonym of Certhia malacensis that had been introduced in 1786 by Austrian naturalist Giovanni Antonio Scopoli. The genus name combines the Ancient Greek ανθος/anthos meaning "flower" or "blossom" with θρεπτης/threptēs meaning "feeder".
Species The genus contains 15 species:
Image Common name Scientific name Distribution Plain-backed sunbird Anthreptes reichenowi Kenya and north-eastern Tanzania Anchieta's sunbird Anthreptes anchietae Angola, the DRC, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Zambia Plain sunbird Anthreptes simplex Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, and Thailand. Brown-throated sunbird Anthreptes malacensis Myanmar to the Lesser Sundas and west Philippines. Grey-throated sunbird Anthreptes griseigularis Philippines. Red-throated sunbird Anthreptes rhodolaemus Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. Mangrove sunbird Anthreptes gabonicus Senegal to northwestern Angola. Western violet-backed sunbird Anthreptes longuemarei sub-Saharan Africa Eastern violet-backed sunbird Anthreptes orientalis Djibouti in north to Tanzania Uluguru violet-backed sunbird Anthreptes neglectus eastern Kenya, eastern Tanzania, and north-eastern Mozambique. Violet-tailed sunbird Anthreptes aurantius Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Gabon. Little green sunbird Anthreptes seimundi Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, and Uganda. Yellow-chinned sunbird Anthreptes rectirostris Sierra Leone to Ghana. Grey-chinned sunbird Anthreptes tephrolaemus Nigeria to Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Angola and Bioko. Banded green sunbird Anthreptes rubritorques Tanzania.
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