Nectarinia kilimensis
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5%
The bronze sunbird (Nectarinia kilimensis) is a species of bird in the family Nectariniidae. It is native to the Bié Plateau (Angola) and eastern Afromontane forests. Bronze sunbirds have a long, thin, well-curved bill. Males have bronze-and-green undertones but most often look black in light. While the male has the undertones, the female however has a pale eyebrow and an added yellowish park below the belly with fine streaking. On some subspecies specifically located in Angola there is a splash of odd green, but it does not overlap in range with malachite or scarlet-tufted sunbirds in similar areas which do not have this green streaking. Male sunbirds lack any purple tones to the plumage which is found on female species.
Bronze sunbirds use a jumble of twittering notes followed by cleaner whistle sounds. These sounds are most often heard during the early morning and mid day. The bronze sunbird can be found in Africa. While not very common they can be best found near the edges of the Afromontane forest, mountain sides and Zimbabwe's eastern highlands and adjacent next to Mozambique. Other countries they can be found... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Volcanoes National Park | 🇷🇼 Rwanda | |
| 2 | Arusha National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 3 | Kibale National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 4 | Bwindi Impenetrable National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 5 | Nairobi National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 6 | Virunga National Park | 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo | |
| 7 | Aberdare National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 8 | Ngorongoro Conservation Area | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 9 | Lake Nakuru National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 10 | Queen Elizabeth National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 11 | Nyungwe National Park | 🇷🇼 Rwanda | |
| 12 | Akagera National Park | 🇷🇼 Rwanda | |
| 13 | Masai Mara National Reserve | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 14 | Lake Mburo National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 15 | Lake Manyara National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 16 | Serengeti National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 17 | Samburu National Reserve | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 18 | Tarangire National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Bronze Sunbird sighting in Samburu National Reserve on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 333rd most-seen of the 341 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Bronze Sunbird in Samburu National Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in February to December, the lowest months. That is one of Samburu National Reserve's driest months, with about 20 mm of rain against 95 mm in April.
Between 3 and 6 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Bronze 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.
17th of 18
Of the 18 parks where we can rate Bronze Sunbird sightings, Samburu National Reserve ranks 17th at under 5%. The best odds are in Volcanoes National Park (Rwanda, about 50%), Arusha National Park (Tanzania, about 50%) and Kibale National Park (Uganda, about 40%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Nectariniidae
The closest relatives of the Bronze Sunbird that you can see in Samburu National Reserve (family Nectariniidae, Sunbirds and Spiderhunters) are Kenya Violet-backed Sunbird (about 40%), Hunter's Sunbird (about 20%) and Black-bellied Sunbird (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Bronze Sunbird is recorded against all the birds logged in Samburu National Reserve (6 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.
