Cinnyris nectarinioides
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
The black-bellied sunbird (Cinnyris nectarinioides) is a small sunbird located primarily in Africa. Two subspecies are recognized: the Cinnyris nectarinioides erlangeri, which is smaller and found in Ethiopia, Somalia, and Kenya; and the Cinnyris nectarinioides nectarinioides, which is larger and found in Kenya and Tanzania. This bird inhabits savannah, wetlands, and terrestrial freshwater areas.
This species has an average size of 13cm for males and 10 cm for females with both weights typically ranging from 4 to 6 grams. The black-bellied sunbird feeds on nectar, insects and spiders, the latter having gained it the nickname "spiderhunter". They forage in the higher levels of trees and perch in order to feed. These birds do not migrate in different seasons of the year, and inhabit the same area year round.
The black-bellied sunbird is part of the species Cinnyris nectarinioides and has two recognized subspecies. The smaller, the Cinnyris nectarinioides erlangeri inhabits Northeast Kenya and can also be found in Southeast Ethiopia and South Somalia. The larger subspecies, the Cinnyris nectarinioides nectarinioides, inhabits Southeast Kenya and Northeast Tanzania. Both... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meru National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 2 | Mkomazi National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 3 | Samburu National Reserve | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 4 | Tsavo West National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 5 | Tsavo East National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 6 | Amboseli National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Black-bellied Sunbird sighting in Tsavo West National Park on a given day, based on 124 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 125th most-seen of the 380 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Black-bellied Sunbird in Tsavo West National Park on a given day, against under 5% in August and September, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Black-bellied 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.
4th of 6
Of the 6 parks where we can rate Black-bellied Sunbird sightings, Tsavo West National Park ranks 4th at about 10%. The best odds are in Meru National Park (Kenya, about 50%), Mkomazi National Park (Tanzania, about 40%) and Samburu National Reserve (Kenya, about 20%).
Same genus: Cinnyris
The closest relatives of the Black-bellied Sunbird that you can see in Tsavo West National Park (genus Cinnyris, Cinnyris Sunbirds) are Tsavo Sunbird (about 30%) and Variable Sunbird (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Black-bellied Sunbird is recorded against all the birds logged in Tsavo West National Park (124 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.
