What is "sunbird"

Sun \Sun\, n. [OE. sunne, sonne, AS. sunne; akin to OFries. sunne, D. zon, OS. & OHG. sunna, G. sonne, Icel. sunna, Goth. sunna; perh. fr. same root as L. sol. [root]297. Cf. Solar, South.]

1. The luminous orb, the light of which constitutes day, and its absence night; the central body round which the earth and planets revolve, by which they are held in their orbits, and from which they receive light and heat. Its mean distance from the earth is about 92,500,000 miles, and its diameter about 860,000.

   Note: Its mean apparent diameter as seen from the earth is 32' 4[sec], and it revolves on its own axis once in 251/3 days. Its mean density is about one fourth of that of the earth, or 1.41, that of water being unity. Its luminous surface is called the photosphere, above which is an envelope consisting partly of hydrogen, called the chromosphere, which can be seen only through the spectroscope, or at the time of a total solar eclipse. Above the chromosphere, and sometimes extending out millions of miles, are luminous rays or streams of light which are visible only at the time of a total eclipse, forming the solar corona.

2. Any heavenly body which forms the center of a system of orbs.

3. The direct light or warmth of the sun; sunshine.

   Lambs that did frisk in the sun.
   --Shak.

4. That which resembles the sun, as in splendor or importance; any source of light, warmth, or animation.

   For the Lord God is a sun and shield.
   --Ps. lxxiv. 11.

   I will never consent to put out the sun of sovereignity to posterity.
   --Eikon Basilike.

   Sun and planet wheels (Mach.), an ingenious contrivance for converting reciprocating motion, as that of the working beam of a steam engine, into rotatory motion. It consists of a toothed wheel (called the sun wheel), firmly secured to the shaft it is desired to drive, and another wheel (called the planet wheel) secured to the end of a connecting rod. By the motion of the connecting rod, the planet wheel is made to circulate round the central wheel on the shaft, communicating to this latter a velocity of revolution the double of its own.
   --G. Francis.

   Sun angel (Zo["o]l.), a South American humming bird of the genus Heliangelos, noted for its beautiful colors and the brilliant luster of the feathers of its throat.

   Sun animalcute. (Zo["o]l.) See Heliozoa.

   Sun bath (Med.), exposure of a patient to the sun's rays; insolation.

   Sun bear (Zo["o]l.), a species of bear ( Helarctos Malayanus) native of Southern Asia and Borneo. It has a small head and short neck, and fine short glossy fur, mostly black, but brownish on the nose. It is easily tamed. Called also bruang, and Malayan bear.

   Sun beetle (Zo["o]l.), any small lustrous beetle of the genus Amara.

   Sun bittern (Zo["o]l.), a singular South American bird ( Eurypyga helias), in some respects related both to the rails and herons. It is beautifully variegated with white, brown, and black. Called also sunbird, and tiger bittern.

   Sun fever (Med.), the condition of fever produced by sun stroke.

   Sun gem (Zo["o]l.), a Brazilian humming bird ( Heliactin cornutus). Its head is ornamented by two tufts of bright colored feathers, fiery crimson at the base and greenish yellow at the tip. Called also Horned hummer.

   Sun grebe (Zo["o]l.), the finfoot.

   Sun picture, a picture taken by the agency of the sun's rays; a photograph.

   Sun spots (Astron.), dark spots that appear on the sun's disk, consisting commonly of a black central portion with a surrounding border of lighter shade, and usually seen only by the telescope, but sometimes by the naked eye. They are very changeable in their figure and dimensions, and vary in size from mere apparent points to spaces of 50,000 miles in diameter. The term sun spots is often used to include bright spaces (called facul[ae]) as well as dark spaces (called macul[ae]). Called also solar spots. See Illustration in Appendix.

   Sun star (Zo["o]l.), any one of several species of starfishes belonging to Solaster, Crossaster, and allied genera, having numerous rays.

   Sun trout (Zo["o]l.), the squeteague.

   Sun wheel. (Mach.) See Sun and planet wheels, above.

   Under the sun, in the world; on earth. ``There is no new thing under the sun.''
   --Eccl. i. 9.

   Note: Sun is often used in the formation of compound adjectives of obvious meaning; as, sun-bright, sun-dried, sun-gilt, sunlike, sun-lit, sun-scorched, and the like.

n. A bird belonging to any of several species in the family Nectariniidae.

Sunbird may refer to:

• The Nectariniidae family of birds
• The Pontiac Sunbird, one of two kinds of car made by General Motors
• The Holden Sunbird, a mid-sized sedan automobile
• Mozilla Sunbird, a calendar and scheduling program
• The Sunbird, a book by Wilbur Smith
• Sunbird, a children's imprint of Penguin Group
• Three-legged crow, a Chinese mythological bird with association to the sun
• Sunbird, a fire spell in the online game of Wizard101

Sunbird is a studio album by pianist Gordon Beck, released in 1979 through JMS–Cream Records. This was the first time Beck worked with guitarist Allan Holdsworth, which led to two collaborative albums: The Things You See (1980) and With a Heart in My Song (1988). Both Sunbird and The Things You See were reissued together as a compilation in 1989 (with the omission of "Flight" from Sunbird) and again in 1994 (including "Flight"). Sunbird by itself was reissued on 17 September 1996.

The sunbirds and spiderhunters make up a family, Nectariniidae, of passerine birds.

They are small, slender passerines from the Old World, usually with downward-curved bills. Many are brightly coloured, often with iridescent feathers, particularly in the males. Many species also have especially long tail feathers. Their range extends from Africa to Australia, across Madagascar, Egypt, Iran, Yemen, southern China, the Indian subcontinent, the Indochinese peninsulas, the Philippines, Southeast Asia and the surrounding Pacific islands, and the uppermost part of northern Australia. The number of species is greater in equatorial and tropical regions.

There are 132 species in 15 genera. Most sunbirds feed largely on nectar, but will also eat insects and spiders, especially when feeding their young. Flowers that prevent access to their nectar because of their shape (for example, very long and narrow flowers) are simply punctured at the base near the nectaries, from which the birds sip the nectar. Fruit is also part of the diet of some species. Their flight is fast and direct, thanks to their short wings.

The sunbirds have counterparts in two very distantly related groups: the hummingbirds of the Americas and the honeyeaters of Australia. The resemblances are due to convergent evolution brought about by a similar nectar-feeding lifestyle. Some sunbird species can take nectar by hovering like a hummingbird, but they usually perch to feed.