Mariqua Sunbird

Mariqua Sunbird

Cinnyris mariquensis

Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
at Akagera National Park

In 3 days ~70% in a week ~90%

191 Verified sightings at Akagera National Park From 2019 to 2026
4,399 In all 33 parks
April Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Mariqua Sunbird

The Marico sunbird (Cinnyris mariquensis) is a species of bird in the family Nectariniidae, which is native to woodlands of the eastern and southern Afrotropics.The bird is typically found in the southeast of the continent of Africa. It is of least concern on the IUCN Red List and has an unknown population size that has yet to be quantified. The Marico sunbird has conservation regions located all over its range, so it is unlikely to go extinct.

It is found in Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The African population of Marico sunbird was spotted on various occasions in between July and August 2016 in locations southwest of where its previously believed range ended. These records raised a red flag of a southward range expansion and therefore a more detailed investigation of the range expansion of the species was needed. The range of these birds is expanding into the Northern Cape and Free state provinces in central South Africa.

There are several theories as to why these birds are expanding or changing their range. It is... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Song0:36

Tanzania · 2022

© Thibaut Chansac · XC862492 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call0:14

South Africa · 2022

© Maarten Sluijter · XC803757 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Song0:50

Kenya · 2022

© isaac kilusu · XC728969 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Waterberg Plateau Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
~30%
2 Akagera National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
~30%
3 Lake Mburo National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~30%
4 Kruger National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~20%
5 uMkhuze Game Reserve 🇿🇦 South Africa
~20%
6 Etosha National Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
~20%
7 Masai Mara National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
~20%
8 Samburu National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
~20%
9 Moremi Game Reserve 🇧🇼 Botswana
~10%
10 Kidepo Valley National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~10%
11 Queen Elizabeth National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~10%
12 Serengeti National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
13 Awash National Park 🇪🇹 Ethiopia
~10%
14 Tarangire National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
15 Gonarezhou National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
<5%
16 Chobe National Park 🇧🇼 Botswana
<5%
17 Kibale National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
18 Mikumi National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
19 Murchison Falls National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
20 Lake Nakuru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
21 Pilanesberg National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
22 Gorongosa National Park 🇲🇿 Mozambique
<5%
23 Lake Manyara National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
24 Hwange National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
<5%
25 Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
26 iSimangaliso Wetland Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
27 Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
28 Amboseli National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
29 Namib-Naukluft National Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
<5%
30 Semuliki National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
31 Ngorongoro Conservation Area 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
32 Nairobi National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
33 Bwindi Impenetrable National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Kigali 🇷🇼 Rwanda
<5%
2 Kampala 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
3 Nairobi 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Mariqua Sunbird in Akagera National Park?

Possible

About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Mariqua Sunbird sighting in Akagera National Park on a given day, based on 191 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 64th most-seen of the 320 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Mariqua Sunbird in Akagera National Park?

January, April and July

In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Mariqua Sunbird in Akagera National Park on a given day, against about 10% in November, the lowest month.

What time of day is best to see a Mariqua Sunbird?

Between 7 and 10 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Mariqua Sunbird sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Akagera National Park the best place to see a Mariqua Sunbird?

Among the best

Of the 33 parks where we can rate Mariqua Sunbird sightings, Akagera National Park ranks 2nd at about 30%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Waterberg Plateau Park (Namibia, about 30%).

Which relatives of the Mariqua Sunbird live in Akagera National Park?

Same genus: Cinnyris

The closest relatives of the Mariqua Sunbird that you can see in Akagera National Park (genus Cinnyris, Cinnyris Sunbirds) are Red-chested Sunbird (about 20%) and Variable Sunbird (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Mariqua Sunbird sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Mariqua Sunbird is recorded against all the birds logged in Akagera National Park (191 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.

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