Drepanorhynchus reichenowi
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
The golden-winged sunbird (Drepanorhynchus reichenowi) is a species of bird in the family Nectariniidae. Three subspecies are recognised. It is native to the Albertine Rift montane forests and East African montane forests.
The male golden-winged sunbird is about 9 in (23 cm) long and the female is about 6 in (15 cm) long, the male having long central tail feathers. Yellow-edged feathers in the wings and tail are key identification pointers in all plumages of both the male and female. Body feathers of the male in breeding condition are a conspicuous metallic reddish-copper colour, which are mostly replaced by dull-black feathers in the non-breeding condition. The underparts of the male are brownish-black. The female is olive above and yellowish below. Immature are similar to females, except their underparts are darker.
German naturalist Gustav Fischer described the golden-winged sunbird in 1884, its species name honouring Anton Reichenow. It is classified as the only species in the genus Drepanorhynchus or sometimes in the genus Nectarinia.
Three subspecies are recognised. The nominate subspecies is found in southern and western Uganda into Kenya (including... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aberdare National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 2 | Ngorongoro Conservation Area | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 3 | Arusha National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 4 | Lake Nakuru National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 5 | Nairobi National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 6 | Serengeti National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Golden-winged Sunbird sighting in Lake Nakuru National Park on a given day, based on 48 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 204th most-seen of the 369 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.
April and July–September
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Golden-winged Sunbird in Lake Nakuru National Park on a given day, against under 5% in May–June and October–March, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Golden-winged 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.
4th of 6
Of the 6 parks where we can rate Golden-winged Sunbird sightings, Lake Nakuru National Park ranks 4th at under 5%. The best odds are in Aberdare National Park (Kenya, about 50%), Ngorongoro Conservation Area (Tanzania, about 10%) and Arusha National Park (Tanzania, about 10%).
Same family: Nectariniidae
The closest relatives of the Golden-winged Sunbird that you can see in Lake Nakuru National Park (family Nectariniidae, Sunbirds and Spiderhunters) are Scarlet-chested Sunbird (about 30%), Bronze Sunbird (about 10%) and Variable Sunbird (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Golden-winged Sunbird is recorded against all the birds logged in Lake Nakuru National Park (48 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.
