Purple-banded Sunbird

Purple-banded Sunbird

Cinnyris bifasciatus

Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
at Zanzibar City

In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%

117 Verified sightings at Zanzibar City
1,778 In all 20 parks From 2019 to 2026
May Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Purple-banded Sunbird

The purple-banded sunbird (Cinnyris bifasciatus) is a species of bird in the family Nectariniidae. It is found in Angola, Botswana, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Eswatini, Gabon, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Somalia, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

The Tsavo sunbird, sometimes lumped with the purple-banded, is here considered a separate species. Purple-banded sunbird - Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds. Wikipedia →

Sounds

Song0:50

Zambia · 2025

© Dries Van de Loock · XC1046993 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Call0:07

Kenya · 2024

© Peter Boesman · XC948055 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Alarm call0:17

Zambia · 2015

© Rory Nefdt · XC267462 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 uMkhuze Game Reserve 🇿🇦 South Africa
~40%
2 iSimangaliso Wetland Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~40%
3 Gorongosa National Park 🇲🇿 Mozambique
~10%
4 Lake Mburo National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~10%
5 Lower Zambezi National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
~10%
6 Kibale National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~10%
7 Kafue National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
~10%
8 Mana Pools National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~10%
9 Queen Elizabeth National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~10%
10 Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
11 Virunga National Park 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo
<5%
12 Mikumi National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
13 Murchison Falls National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
14 Masai Mara National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
15 Chobe National Park 🇧🇼 Botswana
<5%
16 Akagera National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
<5%
17 Kruger National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
18 Bwindi Impenetrable National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
19 Nyungwe National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
<5%
20 Serengeti National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Zanzibar City 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~40%
2 Dar es-Salaam 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~30%
3 Luanda 🇦🇴 Angola
~10%
4 Durban 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
5 Mombasa 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
6 Lusaka 🇿🇲 Zambia
<5%
7 Kampala 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Purple-banded Sunbird in Zanzibar City?

Likely

About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Purple-banded Sunbird sighting in Zanzibar City on a given day, based on 117 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 23rd most-seen of the 86 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Purple-banded Sunbird in Zanzibar City?

February–May and November

In those months about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Purple-banded Sunbird in Zanzibar City on a given day, against about 30% in June to October, the lowest months. Those are among Zanzibar City's wettest months, with about 140 mm of rain a month against 15 mm in July.

What time of day is best to see a Purple-banded Sunbird?

Between 7 and 10 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Purple-banded 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 Zanzibar City the best place to see a Purple-banded Sunbird?

Yes

Of the 7 cities where we can rate Purple-banded Sunbird sightings, Zanzibar City has the highest daily chance: about 40%. Next come Dar es-Salaam (Tanzania, about 30%) and Luanda (Angola, about 10%).

Which relatives of the Purple-banded Sunbird live in Zanzibar City?

Same family: Nectariniidae

The closest relatives of the Purple-banded Sunbird that you can see in Zanzibar City (family Nectariniidae, Sunbirds and Spiderhunters) are Scarlet-chested Sunbird (about 80%) and Collared Sunbird (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Purple-banded Sunbird sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Purple-banded Sunbird is recorded against all the birds logged in Zanzibar City (117 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.

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