Cinnyris cupreus
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
The copper sunbird (Cinnyris cupreus) is a species of passerine bird in the family Nectariniidae. It is native to tropical Africa, its range extending from Senegal and Guinea in the west to South Sudan and Kenya in the east, and southwards to Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique.
The adult male copper sunbird is about 12.5 cm (5 in) long. The subspecies C. c. cupreus inhabits the western part of its range and weighs about 7.5 to 11 g (0.26 to 0.39 oz). The male C. c. chalceus, from the eastern half, weighs 7.5 to 11 g (0.26 to 0.39 oz) while the female of both subspecies weighs 7.3 to 10.2 g (0.26 to 0.36 oz).
C. c. cupreus: Senegal to east Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Ethiopia, west Kenya and west Tanzania C. c. chalceus: Angola to southeast Democratic Republic of the Congo, west Zambia, Malawi and Zimbabwe It is found in Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kibale National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 2 | Queen Elizabeth National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 3 | Lake Mburo National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 4 | Virunga National Park | 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo | |
| 5 | Semuliki National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 6 | Murchison Falls National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 7 | Akagera National Park | 🇷🇼 Rwanda | |
| 8 | Kafue National Park | 🇿🇲 Zambia | |
| 9 | Kidepo Valley National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 10 | Bwindi Impenetrable National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 11 | Chobe National Park | 🇧🇼 Botswana |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | London Zoo | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Copper Sunbird sighting in Queen Elizabeth National Park on a given day, based on 267 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 98th most-seen of the 434 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Copper Sunbird in Queen Elizabeth National Park on a given day, against about 10% in January, March–April and June–July, the lowest months.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Copper 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.
Among the best
Of the 11 parks where we can rate Copper Sunbird sightings, Queen Elizabeth National Park ranks 2nd at about 20%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Kibale National Park (Uganda, about 20%).
Same genus: Cinnyris
The closest relatives of the Copper Sunbird that you can see in Queen Elizabeth National Park (genus Cinnyris, Cinnyris Sunbirds) are Red-chested Sunbird (about 30%), Mariqua Sunbird (about 10%) and Purple-banded Sunbird (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Copper Sunbird is recorded against all the birds logged in Queen Elizabeth National Park (267 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.
