Cinnyris chalybeus
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days >90%
The southern double-collared sunbird or lesser double-collared sunbird (Cinnyris chalybeus) is a small passerine bird which breeds in southern Africa. It is mainly resident, but partially migratory in the north-east of its range.
This sunbird is common in gardens, fynbos, forests and coastal scrub. The southern double-collared sunbird breeds from April to December, depending on region. The closed oval nest is constructed from grass, lichen and other plant material, bound together with spider webs. It has a side entrance which sometimes has a porch, and is lined with wool, plant down and feathers.
The southern double-collared sunbird is 12 cm long. The adult male has a glossy, metallic green head, throat, upper breast and back. It has a brilliant red band across the chest, separated from the green breast by a narrow metallic blue band. The rest of the underparts are whitish. When displaying, yellow feather tufts can be seen on the shoulders. As with other sunbirds the bill is long and decurved. The bill, legs and feet are black. The eye is dark brown. The male can be distinguished from the similar greater double-collared sunbird by its smaller size... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | West Coast National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | De Hoop Nature Reserve | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 5 | Addo Elephant National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 6 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cape Town | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Very likely
About 70% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Double-collared Sunbird sighting in Table Mountain National Park on a given day, based on 6,493 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 3rd most-seen of the 223 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August
In that month about 80% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Double-collared Sunbird in Table Mountain National Park on a given day, against about 50% in November and December, the lowest months. That is one of Table Mountain National Park's wettest months, with about 70 mm of rain against 15 mm in February.
Between 2 and 5 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Southern Double-collared Sunbird sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 6 parks where we can rate Southern Double-collared Sunbird sightings, Table Mountain National Park has the highest daily chance: about 70%. Next come West Coast National Park (South Africa, about 60%) and Garden Route National Park (South Africa, about 40%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Nectariniidae
The closest relatives of the Southern Double-collared Sunbird that you can see in Table Mountain National Park (family Nectariniidae, Sunbirds and Spiderhunters) are Malachite Sunbird (about 30%), Orange-breasted Sunbird (about 20%) and Amethyst Sunbird (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Southern Double-collared Sunbird is recorded against all the birds logged in Table Mountain National Park (6,493 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.
