Golden-winged Sunbird

Golden-winged Sunbird

Drepanorhynchus reichenowi

Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Serengeti National Park

In 3 days <5%

16 Verified sightings at Serengeti National Park From 2019 to 2026
630 In all 6 parks
April Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Golden-winged Sunbird

The golden-winged sunbird (Drepanorhynchus reichenowi) is a species of bird in the family Nectariniidae. Three subspecies are recognised. It is native to the Albertine Rift montane forests and East African montane forests.

The male golden-winged sunbird is about 9 in (23 cm) long and the female is about 6 in (15 cm) long, the male having long central tail feathers. Yellow-edged feathers in the wings and tail are key identification pointers in all plumages of both the male and female. Body feathers of the male in breeding condition are a conspicuous metallic reddish-copper colour, which are mostly replaced by dull-black feathers in the non-breeding condition. The underparts of the male are brownish-black. The female is olive above and yellowish below. Immature are similar to females, except their underparts are darker.

German naturalist Gustav Fischer described the golden-winged sunbird in 1884, its species name honouring Anton Reichenow. It is classified as the only species in the genus Drepanorhynchus or sometimes in the genus Nectarinia.

Three subspecies are recognised. The nominate subspecies is found in southern and western Uganda into Kenya (including... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call0:37

Kenya · 2026

© Ding Li Yong · XC1179398 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Song0:16

Kenya · 2023

© Brendan Sloan · XC800395 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Call0:44

Tanzania · 2023

© isaac kilusu · XC801439 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Aberdare National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~50%
2 Ngorongoro Conservation Area 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
3 Arusha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
4 Lake Nakuru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
5 Nairobi National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
6 Serengeti National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Golden-winged Sunbird in Serengeti National Park?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Golden-winged Sunbird sighting in Serengeti National Park on a given day, based on 16 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 379th most-seen of the 469 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Golden-winged Sunbird in Serengeti National Park?

April

In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Golden-winged Sunbird in Serengeti National Park on a given day, against under 5% in May to March, the lowest months. That is one of Serengeti National Park's wettest months, with about 140 mm of rain against 5 mm in July.

What time of day is best to see a Golden-winged Sunbird?

Between 7 and 10 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Golden-winged 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.

Is Serengeti National Park the best place to see a Golden-winged Sunbird?

6th of 6

Of the 6 parks where we can rate Golden-winged Sunbird sightings, Serengeti National Park ranks 6th at under 5%. The best odds are in Aberdare National Park (Kenya, about 50%), Ngorongoro Conservation Area (Tanzania, about 10%) and Arusha National Park (Tanzania, about 10%).

Which relatives of the Golden-winged Sunbird live in Serengeti National Park?

Same family: Nectariniidae

The closest relatives of the Golden-winged Sunbird that you can see in Serengeti National Park (family Nectariniidae, Sunbirds and Spiderhunters) are Beautiful Sunbird (about 20%), Scarlet-chested Sunbird (about 10%) and Mariqua Sunbird (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Golden-winged Sunbird sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Golden-winged Sunbird is recorded against all the birds logged in Serengeti National Park (16 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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