Kenya Violet-backed Sunbird

Kenya Violet-backed Sunbird

Anthreptes orientalis

Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Tsavo East National Park

In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%

141 Verified sightings at Tsavo East National Park From 2019 to 2026
1,462 In all 12 parks
March Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Kenya Violet-backed Sunbird

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 →

Sounds

Song0:37

Tanzania · 2019

© Peter Boesman · XC509864 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Call0:45

Ethiopia · 2015

© Andrew Spencer · XC267767 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call0:49

Kenya · 2018

© Frank Lambert · XC468993 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Samburu National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
~40%
2 Mkomazi National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~40%
3 Tsavo West National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~30%
4 Ruaha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~30%
5 Meru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~20%
6 Tsavo East National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~20%
7 Lake Manyara National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~20%
8 Tarangire National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
9 Kidepo Valley National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~10%
10 Amboseli National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
11 Ngorongoro Conservation Area 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
12 Serengeti National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Kenya Violet-backed Sunbird in Tsavo East National Park?

Possible

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Kenya Violet-backed Sunbird sighting in Tsavo East National Park on a given day, based on 141 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 81st most-seen of the 345 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Kenya Violet-backed Sunbird in Tsavo East National Park?

March, July–August and November–December

In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Kenya Violet-backed Sunbird in Tsavo East National Park on a given day, against about 10% in January and May, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Kenya Violet-backed Sunbird?

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.

Which relatives of the Kenya Violet-backed Sunbird live in Tsavo East National Park?

Same family: Nectariniidae

The closest relatives of the Kenya Violet-backed Sunbird that you can see in Tsavo East National Park (family Nectariniidae, Sunbirds and Spiderhunters) are Hunter's Sunbird (about 30%), Tsavo Sunbird (about 20%) and Black-bellied Sunbird (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Kenya Violet-backed Sunbird sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Kenya Violet-backed Sunbird is recorded against all the birds logged in Tsavo East National Park (141 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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