several species of sunbirds (in the Nectariniidae family) visit our garden in india regularly. they feed on flower nectar and small insects (think mosquitoes) and are particularly attracted to the milkweed and hibiscus which are in flower more or less continuously. the tiny birds are not much larger than hummingbirds and like hummingbirds are able to hover in the air while extracting nectar. males of many of the species are particularly colorful and shine brilliantly when in the sun. these photos feature a male purple sunbird feeding on the nectar from the milkweed growing wild in front of our house.
this bird put on a wonderful flashy show when in the sunshine, as he moved the glossy dark metallic iridescence on the back and head varied from green through blue to purple and black. but in the shade the males are a dull brownish black
our tiny feathered friend here is maybe about 9 cm (3 1/2 "). notice how his feet are clasping the thin stem of the milkweed flower. the unusual and curious protruding tail was just temporary. i guess it was a dislocated feather or something but it resumed to normal shortly afterward.
the long curved beak is well adapted for extracting nectar.
these photos were taken on our Lumix DMC FZ300 in april 2020. i took the first two while my wife claims to have taken the last one and she is probably right. it was actually taken a couple of days before the first two.