Bronze Sunbird

Bronze Sunbird

Nectarinia kilimensis

Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely
at Volcanoes National Park

In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%

254 Verified sightings at Volcanoes National Park From 2019 to 2026
3,406 In all 18 parks
December Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Bronze Sunbird

The bronze sunbird (Nectarinia kilimensis) is a species of bird in the family Nectariniidae. It is native to the Bié Plateau (Angola) and eastern Afromontane forests. Bronze sunbirds have a long, thin, well-curved bill. Males have bronze-and-green undertones but most often look black in light. While the male has the undertones, the female however has a pale eyebrow and an added yellowish park below the belly with fine streaking. On some subspecies specifically located in Angola there is a splash of odd green, but it does not overlap in range with malachite or scarlet-tufted sunbirds in similar areas which do not have this green streaking. Male sunbirds lack any purple tones to the plumage which is found on female species.

Bronze sunbirds use a jumble of twittering notes followed by cleaner whistle sounds. These sounds are most often heard during the early morning and mid day. The bronze sunbird can be found in Africa. While not very common they can be best found near the edges of the Afromontane forest, mountain sides and Zimbabwe's eastern highlands and adjacent next to Mozambique. Other countries they can be found... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Dawn song0:35

Kenya · 2026

© Ding Li Yong · XC1180776 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Song0:21

Zimbabwe · 2024

© Dries Van de Loock · XC963297 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Call0:52

Kenya · 2021

© isaac kilusu · XC622850 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Volcanoes National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
~50%
2 Arusha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~50%
3 Kibale National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~40%
4 Bwindi Impenetrable National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~30%
5 Nairobi National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~30%
6 Virunga National Park 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo
~20%
7 Aberdare National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~20%
8 Ngorongoro Conservation Area 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~20%
9 Lake Nakuru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
10 Queen Elizabeth National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~10%
11 Nyungwe National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
~10%
12 Akagera National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
<5%
13 Masai Mara National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
14 Lake Mburo National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
15 Lake Manyara National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
16 Serengeti National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
17 Samburu National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
18 Tarangire National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Nairobi 🇰🇪 Kenya
~50%
2 Kigali 🇷🇼 Rwanda
~40%
3 Kampala 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Bronze Sunbird in Volcanoes National Park?

Likely

About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Bronze Sunbird sighting in Volcanoes National Park on a given day, based on 254 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 12th most-seen of the 156 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Bronze Sunbird in Volcanoes National Park?

December

In that month about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Bronze Sunbird in Volcanoes National Park on a given day, against about 20% in January, the lowest month. That is one of Volcanoes National Park's wettest months, with about 250 mm of rain against 20 mm in July.

What time of day is best to see a Bronze Sunbird?

Between 3 and 6 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Bronze 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 Volcanoes National Park the best place to see a Bronze Sunbird?

Yes

Of the 18 parks where we can rate Bronze Sunbird sightings, Volcanoes National Park has the highest daily chance: about 50%. Next come Arusha National Park (Tanzania, about 50%) and Kibale National Park (Uganda, about 40%). All parks ranked.

Where does the Bronze Sunbird sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Bronze Sunbird is recorded against all the birds logged in Volcanoes National Park (254 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.

← Back to Volcanoes National Park