Cinnyris nectarinioides
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
The black-bellied sunbird (Cinnyris nectarinioides) is a small sunbird located primarily in Africa. Two subspecies are recognized: the Cinnyris nectarinioides erlangeri, which is smaller and found in Ethiopia, Somalia, and Kenya; and the Cinnyris nectarinioides nectarinioides, which is larger and found in Kenya and Tanzania. This bird inhabits savannah, wetlands, and terrestrial freshwater areas.
This species has an average size of 13cm for males and 10 cm for females with both weights typically ranging from 4 to 6 grams. The black-bellied sunbird feeds on nectar, insects and spiders, the latter having gained it the nickname "spiderhunter". They forage in the higher levels of trees and perch in order to feed. These birds do not migrate in different seasons of the year, and inhabit the same area year round.
The black-bellied sunbird is part of the species Cinnyris nectarinioides and has two recognized subspecies. The smaller, the Cinnyris nectarinioides erlangeri inhabits Northeast Kenya and can also be found in Southeast Ethiopia and South Somalia. The larger subspecies, the Cinnyris nectarinioides nectarinioides, inhabits Southeast Kenya and Northeast Tanzania. Both... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meru National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 2 | Mkomazi National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 3 | Samburu National Reserve | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 4 | Tsavo West National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 5 | Tsavo East National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 6 | Amboseli National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Black-bellied Sunbird sighting in Samburu National Reserve on a given day, based on 178 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 115th most-seen of the 341 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Black-bellied Sunbird in Samburu National Reserve on a given day, against about 10% in February–March, May and July–October, the lowest months. That is one of Samburu National Reserve's driest months, with about 10 mm of rain against 95 mm in April.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Black-bellied 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.
3rd of 6
Of the 6 parks where we can rate Black-bellied Sunbird sightings, Samburu National Reserve ranks 3rd at about 20%. The best odds are in Meru National Park (Kenya, about 50%) and Mkomazi National Park (Tanzania, about 40%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Black-bellied Sunbird is recorded against all the birds logged in Samburu National Reserve (178 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.
