Anthreptes orientalis
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
The eastern violet-backed sunbird (Anthreptes orientalis), also known as the Kenya violet-backed sunbird, is a species of bird in the family Nectariniidae. It is found in arid savanna of East Africa, ranging from Djibouti in north to Tanzania in south. It is part of the violet-backed sunbird superspecies. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Samburu National Reserve | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 2 | Mkomazi National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 3 | Tsavo West National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 4 | Ruaha National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 5 | Meru National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 6 | Tsavo East National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 7 | Lake Manyara National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 8 | Tarangire National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 9 | Kidepo Valley National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 10 | Amboseli National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 11 | Ngorongoro Conservation Area | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 12 | Serengeti National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Kenya Violet-backed Sunbird sighting in Kidepo Valley National Park on a given day, based on 23 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 189th most-seen of the 332 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Kenya Violet-backed Sunbird in Kidepo Valley National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January–March, June, August and November, the lowest months. That is one of Kidepo Valley National Park's driest months, with about 20 mm of rain against 130 mm in July. April and May have too few records to rate.
Between 6 and 9 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Kenya Violet-backed 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.
9th of 12
Of the 12 parks where we can rate Kenya Violet-backed Sunbird sightings, Kidepo Valley National Park ranks 9th at about 10%. The best odds are in Samburu National Reserve (Kenya, about 40%), Mkomazi National Park (Tanzania, about 40%) and Tsavo West National Park (Kenya, about 30%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Nectariniidae
The closest relatives of the Kenya Violet-backed Sunbird that you can see in Kidepo Valley National Park (family Nectariniidae, Sunbirds and Spiderhunters) are Scarlet-chested Sunbird (about 20%), Mariqua Sunbird (about 10%) and Beautiful Sunbird (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Kenya Violet-backed Sunbird is recorded against all the birds logged in Kidepo Valley National Park (23 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.
