Anthreptes orientalis
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
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 |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Kenya Violet-backed Sunbird sighting in Ngorongoro Conservation Area on a given day, based on 60 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 315th most-seen of the 519 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February and September
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Kenya Violet-backed Sunbird in Ngorongoro Conservation Area on a given day, against under 5% in March–August and October–January, the lowest months. Those are among Ngorongoro Conservation Area's driest months, with about 25 mm of rain a month against 190 mm in April.
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.
11th of 12
Of the 12 parks where we can rate Kenya Violet-backed Sunbird sightings, Ngorongoro Conservation Area ranks 11th at under 5%. 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 Ngorongoro Conservation Area (family Nectariniidae, Sunbirds and Spiderhunters) are Variable Sunbird (about 30%), Eastern Double-collared Sunbird (about 20%) and Beautiful 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 Ngorongoro Conservation Area (60 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.
