Kenya Violet-backed Sunbird

Kenya Violet-backed Sunbird

Anthreptes orientalis

Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
at Ruaha National Park

In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%

63 Verified sightings at Ruaha National Park From 2019 to 2026
1,462 In all 12 parks
September Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Kenya Violet-backed Sunbird

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 →

Sounds

Song0:37

Tanzania · 2019

© Peter Boesman · XC509864 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Call0:45

Ethiopia · 2015

© Andrew Spencer · XC267767 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call0:49

Kenya · 2018

© Frank Lambert · XC468993 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Samburu National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
~40%
2 Mkomazi National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~40%
3 Tsavo West National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~30%
4 Ruaha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~30%
5 Meru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~20%
6 Tsavo East National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~20%
7 Lake Manyara National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~20%
8 Tarangire National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
9 Kidepo Valley National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~10%
10 Amboseli National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
11 Ngorongoro Conservation Area 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
12 Serengeti National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Kenya Violet-backed Sunbird in Ruaha National Park?

Possible

About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Kenya Violet-backed Sunbird sighting in Ruaha National Park on a given day, based on 63 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 73rd most-seen of the 276 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.

When is the best time to see a Kenya Violet-backed Sunbird in Ruaha National Park?

August and September

In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Kenya Violet-backed Sunbird in Ruaha National Park on a given day, against about 10% in November, the lowest month. Those are among Ruaha National Park's driest months, with almost no rain against 180 mm in January.

What time of day is best to see a Kenya Violet-backed Sunbird?

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.

Where does the Kenya Violet-backed Sunbird sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Kenya Violet-backed Sunbird is recorded against all the birds logged in Ruaha National Park (63 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.

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