NECTARINIIDAE

songbird family, order Passeriformes, consisting of the sunbirds and spider hunters, about 116 species of small, brilliantly coloured birds widespread throughout the warmer forests of Africa and Asia. Members range in size from 9 to 22 centimetres (3.5 to 8.5 inches) long. They have slender downcurved bills, partially tubular tongues, and short, rounded wings. They feed on small insects and sip nectar from small flowers (e.g., Anthreptes, Nectarinia, Aethopyga). The group called spider hunters (Arachnothera) are found primarily in the Orient. The Nectariniidae belong to the songbird suborder (Passeres).