Anthreptes orientalis
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
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 →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Samburu National Reserve | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 2 | Mkomazi National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 3 | Tsavo West National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 4 | Ruaha National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 5 | Meru National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 6 | Tsavo East National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 7 | Lake Manyara National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 8 | Tarangire National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 9 | Kidepo Valley National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 10 | Amboseli National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 11 | Ngorongoro Conservation Area | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 12 | Serengeti National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Kenya Violet-backed Sunbird sighting in Samburu National Reserve on a given day, based on 530 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 34th most-seen of the 341 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March and April
In those months about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Kenya Violet-backed Sunbird in Samburu National Reserve on a given day, against about 30% in February, May and December, the lowest months. Those are among Samburu National Reserve's wettest months, with about 70 mm of rain a month against 5 mm in September.
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.
Yes
Of the 12 parks where we can rate Kenya Violet-backed Sunbird sightings, Samburu National Reserve has the highest daily chance: about 40%. Next come Mkomazi National Park (Tanzania, about 40%) and Tsavo West National Park (Kenya, about 30%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Nectariniidae
The closest relatives of the Kenya Violet-backed Sunbird that you can see in Samburu National Reserve (family Nectariniidae, Sunbirds and Spiderhunters) are Hunter's Sunbird (about 20%), Black-bellied Sunbird (about 20%) and Mariqua Sunbird (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Kenya Violet-backed Sunbird is recorded against all the birds logged in Samburu National Reserve (530 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.
