Nectarinia kilimensis
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
The bronze sunbird (Nectarinia kilimensis) is a species of bird in the family Nectariniidae. It is native to the Bié Plateau (Angola) and eastern Afromontane forests. Bronze sunbirds have a long, thin, well-curved bill. Males have bronze-and-green undertones but most often look black in light. While the male has the undertones, the female however has a pale eyebrow and an added yellowish park below the belly with fine streaking. On some subspecies specifically located in Angola there is a splash of odd green, but it does not overlap in range with malachite or scarlet-tufted sunbirds in similar areas which do not have this green streaking. Male sunbirds lack any purple tones to the plumage which is found on female species.
Bronze sunbirds use a jumble of twittering notes followed by cleaner whistle sounds. These sounds are most often heard during the early morning and mid day. The bronze sunbird can be found in Africa. While not very common they can be best found near the edges of the Afromontane forest, mountain sides and Zimbabwe's eastern highlands and adjacent next to Mozambique. Other countries they can be found... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Volcanoes National Park | 🇷🇼 Rwanda | |
| 2 | Arusha National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 3 | Kibale National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 4 | Bwindi Impenetrable National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 5 | Nairobi National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 6 | Virunga National Park | 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo | |
| 7 | Aberdare National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 8 | Ngorongoro Conservation Area | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 9 | Lake Nakuru National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 10 | Queen Elizabeth National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 11 | Nyungwe National Park | 🇷🇼 Rwanda | |
| 12 | Akagera National Park | 🇷🇼 Rwanda | |
| 13 | Masai Mara National Reserve | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 14 | Lake Mburo National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 15 | Lake Manyara National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 16 | Serengeti National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 17 | Samburu National Reserve | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 18 | Tarangire National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Bronze Sunbird sighting in Akagera National Park on a given day, based on 25 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 215th most-seen of the 320 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March, May and November–January
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Bronze Sunbird in Akagera National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February, April and June–October, the lowest months.
Between 3 and 6 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Bronze Sunbird sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
12th of 18
Of the 18 parks where we can rate Bronze Sunbird sightings, Akagera National Park ranks 12th at under 5%. The best odds are in Volcanoes National Park (Rwanda, about 50%), Arusha National Park (Tanzania, about 50%) and Kibale National Park (Uganda, about 40%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Nectariniidae
The closest relatives of the Bronze Sunbird that you can see in Akagera National Park (family Nectariniidae, Sunbirds and Spiderhunters) are Mariqua Sunbird (about 30%), Scarlet-chested Sunbird (about 20%) and Red-chested Sunbird (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Bronze Sunbird is recorded against all the birds logged in Akagera National Park (25 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
