Animalia Life

Dicaeum aeneum
TAXONOMY
Dicaeum aeneum Pucheran, 1853, San Jorge, Solomon Islands. Three subspecies.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
English: Solomons flowerpecker; French: Dicйe des Salomon; German: Bronzemistelfresser; Spanish: Pica Flor de la Isla Salomon.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
2.2 in (5.6 cm); 0.25–0.31 oz (7.1–8.8 g). Grayish upperparts with white throat patch, scarlet breast patch and yellow-green flanks.
DISTRIBUTION
D. a. aeneum: Bougainville, Choiseul, and Ysabel in northern Solomon Islands; D. a. becki: Florida and Guadacanal; D. a. malaitae: Malaita Island.
HABITAT
All habitats in the Solomon Islands, up to 1,640 ft (500 m).
BEHAVIOR
Bobs head up and down when lands on perch, after rapid flight. Usually alone or in pairs.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Occasionally hovers to feed. Eats fruits and insects.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Nest is pear-shaped with a rounded base and side entrance, made of vegetable matter including grass, suspended low down in a bush. Male and female are involved in feeding young and taking away fecal sacs.
CONSERVATION STATUS
Common, not threatened.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
None known.

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