Goldstein H. & Tom-Tov Y. (1988) Breeding biology of the Orange-tufted Sunbird in Israel. ARDEA 76 (2): 169-174

The breeding biology of the Orange-tufted Sunbird was studied in Tel Aviv, Israel. The breeding season lasted from February to September. During this season the sunbirds were territorial. Only the female built the nest, a process which lasted 8.4 days, but longer in periods of bad weather. Most nests were built 1.5-2 m above the ground. The rate of material collecting trips was 50 trips an hour. After the nest was built, flocks of courting males (5 on average) appeared 3 days before laying started and disappeared 1-2 days before laying started. Females laid 1-3 eggs (2.4 on average). Only the female incubated. Incubation lasted 13 days and the female left the nest four times per hour. Attentiveness was negatively related to ambient temperature. During incubation the eggs lost 17.6% of their initial weight and rate of weight loss increased during incubation. Nestling period lasted 15.6 days. Both parents, but mainly the female, fed the chicks with invertebrates and later with nectar. Hatching and fledging success were 67% and 47%, respectively.