Gurney's sugarbird (Promerops gurneyi) is a medium-sized passerine endemic to the mid- and high-altitude grassland velds in southern Africa.

[2] The common name and Latin binomial commemorate the British banker and amateur ornithologist John Henry Gurney (1819-1890).

[2] This species of sugarbird has a dark grey back, and a conspicuous bright yellow rump makes this bird easy to spot.

Meanwhile, P. g. ardens individuals tend to be darker, with a greener rump and a richer chestnut breast than their counterpart subspecies.

This is because the long feathers are easily damaged and must be replaced quickly due to their important role in mating displays.

Promeropidae was also once classified in the Australian Meliphagidae (honeyeaters) family, because of their shared and unique tongue structure, behaviour, and nest-building.

Analysis of protein structure from egg whites and red blood cells showed that sugarbirds are derived specialists of African starlings.

[2] P. g. ardens was recognized in 1952[4] and arose from an isolated population of Gurney's sugarbird located in high-elevation areas of Eastern Zimbabwe and the adjacent Mozambique.

[2] The preferred habitats is shrubland velds of Southern Africa, dominated by sugarbush (Protea) species of flowering plants.

Multiple song-spells strung together and separated by short pauses are called full song periods, and these can last for 20 minutes.

[3] Main prey orders include Hymenoptera (wasps, bees, sawflies and ants), Coleoptera (beetles), and Hemiptera (true bugs).

[3] This season lasts from September, when pairing and nest-building take place, until late February, when the fledglings leave their parents' territory.

[3] Females chose their mate based on morphological features (physical attributes) and display flights, which consist of flicking their long tail and the wing-'clacking' of the triangular bulge on their sixth primary feather.

Individuals usually reach sexual maturity in their second or third year of life, and therefore typically survive for an average of five breeding seasons during their lifetime.