Arachnothera longirostra
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
The little spiderhunter (Arachnothera longirostra) is a species of long-billed nectar-feeding bird in the family Nectariniidae found in the moist forests of South and Southeast Asia. Unlike typical sunbirds, males and females are very similar in plumage. They are usually seen in ones or twos and frequently make a tzeck call. They are most often found near flowering plants where they obtain nectar.
The distinctive long beak set it apart from other sunbirds. The sexes are similar, except that the female has a paler base on the lower mandible. Male has all black beak. They are found near their favourite nectar bearing trees, often species of wild Musaceae or flowers in gardens. They have a buzzy zick-zick call that is made regularly when disturbed or when foraging. Additionally, the song is series of rapid chipping notes and these can go on for long periods.
The genus name Arachnothera means "spider hunter" and the species epithet refers to the long beak. About thirteen geographic races are recognized. The nominate race longirostra (Latham, 1790) is found in southwestern India, central and northeastern India, foothills of the Himalayas and into Thailand... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Danum Valley Conservation Area | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 2 | Khao Luang National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 3 | Khao Sok National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 4 | Tanjung Puting National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 5 | Sepilok | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 6 | Cat Tien National Park | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | |
| 7 | Way Kambas National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 8 | Doi Inthanon National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 9 | Periyar National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 10 | Gunung Leuser National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 11 | Khao Yai National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 12 | Kaeng Krachan National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 13 | Taman Negara National Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 14 | Bako National Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 15 | Namdapha National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 16 | Kerinci Seblat National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 17 | Kinabalu Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 18 | Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 19 | Bali Barat National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 20 | Manas National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 21 | Cuc Phuong National Park | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | |
| 22 | Nagarhole National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 23 | Royal Manas National Park | 🇧🇹 Bhutan | |
| 24 | Kaziranga National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 25 | Bandipur National Park | 🇮🇳 India |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kuala Lumpur | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 2 | Singapore | 🇸🇬 Singapore | |
| 3 | Guwahati | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 4 | Jakarta | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 5 | Denpasar | 🇮🇩 Indonesia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Little Spiderhunter sighting in Periyar National Park on a given day, based on 359 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 94th most-seen of the 227 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Little Spiderhunter in Periyar National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March, May and August, the lowest months. That is one of Periyar National Park's driest months, with about 25 mm of rain against 410 mm in August.
Between 3 and 6 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Little Spiderhunter sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
9th of 25
Of the 25 parks where we can rate Little Spiderhunter sightings, Periyar National Park ranks 9th at about 10%. The best odds are in Danum Valley Conservation Area (Malaysia, about 60%), Khao Luang National Park (Thailand, about 50%) and Khao Sok National Park (Thailand, about 40%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Nectariniidae
The closest relatives of the Little Spiderhunter that you can see in Periyar National Park (family Nectariniidae, Sunbirds and Spiderhunters) are Crimson-backed Sunbird (about 20%), Long-billed Sunbird (about 20%) and Purple Sunbird (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Little Spiderhunter is recorded against all the birds logged in Periyar National Park (359 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.
