Anthreptes orientalis
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
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 |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Kenya Violet-backed Sunbird sighting in Meru National Park on a given day, based on 39 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 70th most-seen of the 243 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Kenya Violet-backed Sunbird in Meru National Park on a given day, against about 10% in December and January, the lowest months. That is one of Meru National Park's wettest months, with about 90 mm of rain against almost none in July. May and July–August 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.
5th of 12
Of the 12 parks where we can rate Kenya Violet-backed Sunbird sightings, Meru National Park ranks 5th at about 20%. 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 Meru National Park (family Nectariniidae, Sunbirds and Spiderhunters) are Black-bellied Sunbird (about 50%), Amethyst Sunbird (about 20%) and Scarlet-chested Sunbird (about 20%), 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 Meru National Park (39 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.
