Scientific name: Promerops cafer
 |
| Male |
 |
| Male |
 |
| Female |
 |
| Female |
The Cape sugarbird is a grey-brown bird that easily recognisable by a spot of yellow under its tail and the very long tail feathers present in males. The female is shorter-tailed and shorter-billed. A characteristic of the Cape sugarbird is the sound it makes when it flies. The main flight feathers are arranged in such a way that when the bird beats its wings, a frrt-frrt sound is made with the intention of attracting females.
Endemic to the fynbos biome of the Western Cape extending into the Eastern Cape, as it is highly dependent on Protea's for nectar and nesting sites.
It mainly feeds on the nectar of Protea, Leucospermum and Mimetes, making it a major pollinator of the protea family (Proteaceae), partly because it can visit around 300 flowers per day. It also drinks the nectar of other plants and hawks insects aerially, it is was even observed attempting to drink nectar from coloured clothing pegs!
