Know Before You Go

Asities and sunbird-asities are endemic to the forests of Madagascar. They can be found in the understory, lower levels of canopy and occasionally in the canopy of primary rain forest, dry deciduous forest, degraded or logged forest and in secondary forest. One species is found on the drier eastern side of the island, while the other is found in the moister rain forest on the west side of the island. In contrast, Neodrepanis is found only in the rain forests on the west side of the island. These birds live from sea level up to 5,900 feet, but some species have strong affinities for relatively narrow altitudinal zones. They have long, curved bills, and specialized tongues for extracting nectar from forest flowers. Sunbird-asities have plump bodies and short tails.