A sunbird on a species of heliconia flowers. The sunbirds make up part of a family, Nectariniidae, of very small passerine birds. Most sunbirds feed largely on nectar, but also take insects and spiders, especially when feeding young. Heliconia, derived from the Greek word helikonios, is a genus of about 100 to 200 species of flowering plants native to the tropical Americas and the Pacific Ocean islands west to Indonesia. Many species of Heliconia are found in rainforests or tropical wet forests of these regions. Common names for the genus include lobster-claws, wild plantains or false bird-of-paradise. The last term refers to their close similarity to the bird-of-paradise flowers (Strelitzia). Collectively, these plants are also simply referred to as heliconias.
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