Cinnyris osea
The Palestine sunbird (Cinnyris osea) is a small passerine bird of the sunbird family, Nectariniidae. Found in parts of the Middle East and sub-Saharan Africa, it is also known as the northern orange-tufted sunbird. However, the name "orange-tufted sunbird" refers to another species, found further south in Africa. In 2015 the Palestinian Authority adopted the species as a national bird, after it lost in Israel's national bird public vote in 2008 in favor of the hoopoe. The specific name osea is derived from Ancient Greek ὁσια (hosia, "holy").
The Palestine sunbird is 8 to 12 cm long with a wingspan of 14 to 16 cm. Males have an average weight of 7.6 g and females weigh around 6.8 g. The bill is fairly long, black and curves downwards. The plumage of breeding males is mostly dark but appears glossy blue or green in the light. There are orange tufts at the sides of the breast which are hard to see except at close range. Females and juveniles are grey-brown above with pale underparts. Non-breeding males are similar but may retain some dark feathers.
It has a high, fast, jingling song and various calls including a harsh alarm call. It occurs in... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|
More parks will be added in future updates.
Very likely
About 90% of wildlife watchers report a Palestine Sunbird sighting in Jerusalem on a given day, based on 4,495 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 7th most-seen of the 192 birds we can rate there.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, about 90% of wildlife watchers report a Palestine Sunbird in Jerusalem on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Palestine 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.
Yes
Of the 5 cities where we can rate Palestine Sunbird sightings, Jerusalem has the highest daily chance: about 90%. Next come Amman (Jordan, about 80%) and Ramallah (Palestine, about 80%).
Same order: Passeriformes
The closest relatives of the Palestine Sunbird that you can see in Jerusalem (order Passeriformes, Perching Birds) are Hooded Crow (over 90%), White-spectacled Bulbul (about 90%) and Eurasian Blackbird (about 90%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Palestine Sunbird is recorded against all the birds logged in Jerusalem (4,495 verified sightings), 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.
